KARACHI: E paper – February 17, 2020

CMYK

Monday, 17 February, 2020 I 22 Jamadi-ul-Sani, 1441 I Rs 17.00 I Vol X No 229 I 16 Pages I Karachi Edition

UN chief Urges PakistaN, iNdia to de-escalate teNsioNs g

'Poisonous' gas kills five, faints dozens in Karachi STORY ON BACK PAGE

AIC says social media restrictions will kill Pakistan's digital growth STORY ON BACK PAGE

Finance Division seeks Rs101.2bn for 44 provincial projects in FY21 STORY ON PAGE 12

ANtoNIo gUteRRes sAYs PAkIstAN Is AmoNg CoUNtRIes most AFFeCteD

bY ClImAte ChANge, URges woRlD leADeRs FoR CoUNteRmeAsURes

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UN seCRetARY geNeRAl lAUDs PAkIstAN’s hosPItAlItY FoR AFghAN ReFUgees AND stResses NeeD FoR PolItICAl solUtIoN FoR lAstINg RegIoNAl PeACe

ISLAMABAD

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Staff report

NIteD NAtIoNs (UN) secretary general Antonio guterres on sunday urged both Pakistan and India to de-escalate both militarily and verbally.

Addressing a joint press conference with Foreign minister shah mahmood Qureshi, guterres said that he was deeply concerned by the situation in occupied kashmir and the persistent tensions along the line of Control (loC). he added that he has repeatedly stressed the importance of exercising maximum restraint.

“Diplomacy and dialogue remain the only tools that guarantee peace and stability with solutions in accordance with the Charter of UN and resolutions of the security Council,” he said, adding that he has repeatedly “reiterated his offer to exercise my good offices should both sides ask”. he also lauded Pakistan’s contributions to UN peacekeeping efforts as well as the inauguration of the kartarpur corridor, which was held last year. Calling the kartarpur initiative a “symbol of interfaith harmony, a unique experiment in cross-border ties”, the UN chief said that the opening of the corridor showed “Pakistan’s commitment to peace”. he said that Pakistan is a responsible member of the UN and it will be fully supported in dispensing its responsibilities. the UN chief said that his visit to Pakistan is to acknowledge the great generosity and hospitality that Pakistan extended to Afghan

refugees for over forty years, despite its limited resources and challenges. hailing the contributions of Pakistan in UN peacekeeping operations around the world, he said that Pakistani men and women are serving with full dedication and commitment to promoting the values of the UN. he said that he also discussed a number of issues, including on regional security with Fm Qureshi. the UN secretary general said that Pakistan’s efforts against terrorism are commendable and very successful. he said due to these efforts, now Islamabad has become a safe family station for UN staff. speaking about the Afghan situation, he said that political solution and a permanent ceasefire are the only way forward to durable peace in Afghanistan which will foster the repatriation process of Afghan

115 containers cleared without paying duties and taxes STORY ON PAGE 11

Pakistan win maiden Kabaddi World Cup

STORY ON PAGE 14

refugees. he urged Pakistan to continue playing its pivotal role in sustainable peace in the neighboring country.

In reply to a question, he said that there is a need to fight Islamophobia strongly. he said that hate speeches are the main cause of Islamophobia and the UN is committed to fighting against all forms of populism that contribute to such a narrative. he said that his visit to the kartarpur corridor will be a symbol of dialogue and tolerance. on his turn, Fm Qureshi said that he had a very fruitful meeting with the UN secretary general in which we discussed a host of issues. he said that there is a need to agree on a time-bound roadmap for repatriation of Afghan refugees, supported by the international community.

CONTINUTED ON PAGE 05

Monday, 17 February, 2020

02 NEWS

ANti-PoLio drive StArtS todAy to vACCiNAte over 39M ChiLdreN ISLAMABAD

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APP

HE year’s first nationwide polio vaccination drive is scheduled to start from Monday to vaccinate 39.6 million children under the age of five years across the country.

According to an official of the National Emergency Operations Centre, during the campaign, over 265,000 frontline polio workers would go street to street and knock at every door to protect Pakistani children against the crippling virus.

“Building on the successful national campaign in December last year, the nation is all set to undertake aggressive measures to push the virus back during 2020 setting the stage to root out polio from the country once for all.”

“We are committed to reaching every last child with the essential polio vaccine and I request all segments of society to join hands,” said Dr. Zafar Mirza, the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health.

“We have critically reviewed our performance during the last campaign and worked with provincial and district teams for even better preparedness for the upcoming nationwide vaccination effort, “ he added.

“The current geographical spread

and the intensity of the virus transmission poses a real risk to our children across the country. Reaching every child during the nationwide door to door campaign will provide the muchneeded immunity boost to our children and ensure they stay protected from the lifelong paralysis,” said Dr. Rana Muhammad Safdar, Coordinator National Emergency Operations Centre.

“Learning from 2019, we have the firm resolve to turn the situation around in 2020. The national team urges every Pakistani to assume the role of Sehat Muhafiz ensuring vaccination of own children as well as those around them,” he said.

To benefit from the low temperatures, Pakistan’s Polio Eradication programme scheduled three back to back national campaigns during the months of December, February and April with two additional strategic response rounds in high-risk districts during January and March.

To build on gains of the last two months, the national EOC has deployed its 50 experts as facilitators across critical areas of the country to support the frontline workers in administering two drops of the oral polio vaccine to every child during the February NID. The effort will not only protect children from contracting the disease but

APP

Muhammad Mansoor Alam Khan, a 26-year-old from Pakistan, started distributing masks and manuals on the epidemic prevention to locals as a volunteer in Shanghai to control coronavirus outbreak.

Putting on a mask, a pair of goggles and a protective suit, Khan began distributing masks and manuals on the epidemic prevention to locals, before heading to a highway checkpoint to help inspect vehicles entering Shanghai, local media reported.

He took body temperatures of drivers and passengers and reminded them to scan a QR code to register their physical conditions.

“Few people can tell that I am a foreigner since I’m well-armed. They are astonished and often express their gratitude to me when they find out,” Khan said.

Khan came to China in 2015 for a master’s degree in electric engineering at Xi’an Jiaotong University. After graduation in 2018, he found a job as an engineer in Shanghai and stayed.

Nearly 20 foreigners live in the same community as Khan in Waigang Township of Jiading District. The young man has become a coordinator between the community workers and foreign residents.

“Some occasionally question me about taking their body temperatures, and I’ll explain to them that early detection is the most effective method to prevent further transmission of the virus,” Khan said.

His presence also motivated local volunteers. “Other volunteers are happy that I joined them. I think my presence makes them feel that they are not alone and that many are standing along with Chinese people to combat the epidemic,” said Khan.

Data from local authorities showed over 58,000 people have joined volunteer organizations in Shanghai. They are an important force in China’s community-based prevention and control, shouldering a range of important tasks.

Khan decided to stay in Shanghai after much consideration during the Spring Festival. “It’s no big deal. China has given me a good education, job and

PM calls meeting of Pti, federal spokespersons today NEWS DESK Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on Sunday summoned government spokespersons for a high priority meeting on Monday. The meeting which has been scheduled for 3pm will have spokespersons representing both the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and federal government in attendance. According to media reports, the meeting will aim to take the spokespersons into confidence regarding matters pertaining to important political and governmental issues in addition to giving them a brief guideline about how to tackle the issues at hand. The premier will also take the spokespersons in the loop about Turkish President Erdogan’s recent visit and United Nations (UN) Chief Antonio Guterres’ ongoing visit.

Sehat card was launched by PML-N as ‘Pakistan Card’: Sanaullah

Pakistani volunteers to join anti-virus fight in Shanghai BEIJING

also prevent them from carrying the virus in their intestines.

The programme is making all-out efforts to ensure a polio-free future and is supported by all segments of the society including the medical community, top religious scholars, journalists, celebrities, etc. making it a truly national effort.

The drive in Karachi will start from next week.

It is important for parents and caregivers to welcome Polio frontline workers knocking at their doors and support them in vaccinating children in the neighborhood as well.

The programme has also launched the “Sehat Tahhafuz Helpline 1166” with local language capacities that allows the public to seek advice and report children that have not been vaccinated due to any reason.

Pakistan has made steady progress since 1994 bringing the number of polio cases significantly down from the highs of almost 20,000 a year. Nevertheless, it is still listed among the last two polioendemic countries in the world along with neighboring Afghanistan.

A total of 144 wild poliovirus cases were reported in the country during 2019 while another 17 have so far been reported in 2020 including ten from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, five from Sindh and two from Balochistan.

LAHORE INP

cozy life. It is the least I can do to pay back,” said Khan. “China is my second home and it now needs me.”

His family also supports his decision. “Both my sisters are doctors, and they always stay in the hospital to take care of patients during festivals,” said Khan. “My father always said helping others is the best path to happiness.”

“I think the Chinese government is doing the best and providing the best solutions available at the moment,” said Khan. “We foreign residents should support and stand together with China.

Let’s knock out this virus together.”

Looking ahead, Khan said going out for hotpot would be on top of his agenda after the epidemic. “I believe I’ll stay in China for the rest of my life.”

When will NAB raid offices of Jehangir and Khusro, asks Marriyum LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Marriyum Aurangzeb on Sunday said that Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan had raided the houses of political opponents to hide his incompetence. In a statement, the PML-N leader said that the incumbent government of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has destroyed the economy, business and employment in the country.

She demanded the premier to tell about the looted money, flour and sugar crises to the nation. STAFF REPORT

CMYK

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) legislator Rana Sanaullah said on Sunday that the programme under which Prime Minister Imran Khan distributed Sehat Insaf Cards among some beneficiaries on Saturday was initiated during PML-N’s tenure under the name “Pakistan Card”. The former provincial law minister during a press conference further referred to the premier’s visit to the Safe City headquarters in Lahore, where Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar accompanied him and affirmed that the Safe City project was also established by the previous government.

“The Safe City project has not been run in accordance with the vision it was estab-

lished for […] if it were executed properly, then the crime rate would have reduced,” Sanaullah added.

“If it were Shehbaz Sharif’s authority, the regional headquarters of the Safe City project would have completed long ago. “We had established the Dolphin Force.”

Monday, 17 February, 2020

NEWS

FAtF StArtS reviewiNg PAkiStAN’S eFFortS AgAiNSt terror FiNANCiNg ISLAMABAD

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STAFF REPORT

HE Financial Action Task Force (FATF) on Sunday began review meetings to discuss Pakistan’s efforts against money laundering and terror financing.

The meetings of the international watchdog’s plenary and working group meetings will be held till February 21 in Paris and will focus on the global efforts to trace and prevent the illegal transfer of money which is used to finance terror and other crimes.

The meetings will also discuss the progress made countries such as Iran and Pakistan that “present a risk to the financial system”.

Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Hammad Azhar is leading Pakistan’s delegation, which also includes members of both foreign ministry and interior ministry along with officials State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and the Financial Monitoring Unit (FMU).

Analysts expect Pakistan to either exit the grey list soon after winning a “largely-compliant” rating from the FATF or might get more time from the watchdog to ensure full compliance.

Pakistan will be judged by a FATF plenary meeting on the basis of the joint group’s report, for a possible exit from the grey list or at least avoiding the blacklist.

Reportedly, Pakistan needs only 12 out of 39 votes to exit the grey list. Pakistan has already gained full support from China, Turkey and Malaysia, and

Journalist murdered in Naushero Feroze NEWS DESK Mehrabpur Press Club President Aziz Memon was strangulated to death on Sunday in Naushero Feroze district of Sindh and his body was found from an irrigation waterway.

The body of the slain journalist was shifted to the taluka hospital for medico-legal formalities. The police said that an initial investigation into his death found that he was strangulated using a wire, however, they were awaiting the post-mortem report to confirm the actual cause of his death.

Meanwhile, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah took notice of the killing of Aziz Memon and summoned a detailed report into the matter from the Shaheed Benazirabad deputy inspector general of police (DIGP).

The journalist was associated with Sindhi TV channel, KTN News, and Sindhi-language daily Kawish.

According to the slain journalist’s brother, Hafiz Memon, Memon had left with his cameraman, Owais Qureshi, to cover a story in a nearby village on Sunday morning. Some hours later, his body was found, tied with an electric

aims to obtain 12 votes with an escalated diplomatic campaign. Pakistan has ensured the significant implementation of most of the recommendations and took necessary actions.

On January 28, the SBP had stated that Pakistan had made significant progress to get off the grey list while the central bank had been making all-out wire, in an irrigation outlet near the town. The police said that the cameraman has been detained for questioning.

Some months ago, Aziz had released a video message, saying he was receiving threats for his coverage of a news story. Police, meanwhile, said that they were investigating the killing from various angles.

It is worth mentioning here that a day ago Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) MPA Shahnaz Ansari was brutally murdered in the same district. Leaders of various journalist organisations and unions condemned the killing and called for a thorough investigation into the incident.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dr Kaleem Imam also took notice of the incident. IGP Dr Imam also sought details of the incident from the Naushahro Feroze SSP.

PTI leader Naeemul Haque buried in DHA graveyard

KARACHI APP

The funeral prayer of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior leader and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Naeemul Haque was offered at Ayesha Masjid, Defence Housing Authority (DHA) Phase-6 after Asr prayers, which was attended by a large number of people from different walks of life.

Prominent figures were Sindh Governor Imran Ismail and Punjab Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar, Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar, Deputy Speaker of National Assembly Qassim Soori, Federal Ministers Aijaz Shah,

Ali Zaidi, Farogh Naseem and Asad Umer, Karachi Mayor Waseem Akhtar, PTI leaders MNA Aftab Siddiqui, Khurram Sher-uz-Zaman, Haleem Adil Sheikh, Dr Pervaiz Ghaffar, PTI MPA from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Faizullah, former Sindh minister Irfanullah Khan Marwat, business leaders Siraj Kassem Teli and Aqil Karim Dhedi and Sindh Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dr Syed Kaleem Imam. He was buried in DHA (Gizri) graveyard.

Speaking to the media, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan paid tribute to Haque and said, “As a soldier on the frontline, he (Haque) not only defended Prime Minister Imran Khan’s narrative at every turn but also worked tirelessly to turn his (PM Imran’s) vision into reality.”

“We will not let his (Haque’s) cause die. PTI will keep his vision alive,” the SAPM vowed.

Meanwhile, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa also expressed his grief on the sad demise of Haque. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the COAS prayed for the deceased and his family.

“May Allah bless the departed soul and give strength to the bereaved family, Aamen,” COAS said. Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi also expressed his grief over the sad demise of the special assistant. In a message received from the Pakistan Navy spokesperson, Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi extended his heartfelt condolence on the death of the prominent politician.

efforts to curb money laundering and terror financing.

While announcing the monetary policy with an unchanged interest rate of 13.25pc, SBP Governor Dr Reza Baqir had said that the last two [FATF] reviews in May and September showed that Pakistan had made significant progress in most of the 27 points raised by the FATF. However, he had maintained, the FATF was the final authority to decide if the progress was enough to pull Pakistan out of the grey list, adding that the country would have to continue making progress in this direction.

Last month, despite strict opposition from India, several FATF members, including the European Union (EU) and the United States (US), had expressed satisfaction on Pakistan’s performance report from October 2019 till January 2020.

The Pakistani delegation, led by Economic Affairs Minister Hammad Azhar last month had presented the report in a meeting with the working group in Beijing and explained measures taken and progress made by the country in stopping funding of terrorists and eradication of money laundering since October last year.

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8-yeAr-oLd girL rAPed, tortured, Murdered iN hANgu NEWS DESK The body of an eight-year-old girl was found by Hangu police on Sunday who said that she was subjected to an extremely brutal rape and torture before being murdered. District Police Officer (DPO) Shahid Ahmed told the press that the child’s body was recovered from some bushes in Hangu district’s Saro Khel village whereas it had been shifted to the district headquarter hospital for medical examination. DPO Shahid said that the bruises on the girl’s body pointed towards rape whereas the rapist had also shot the child before strangling her to death, all of which would be clear once the medical reports come in. He said that the police were monitoring two people as persons of interest in the case but further investigations would be carried out in light of the medical report which is expected in 24 hours. According to the details, the child had gone to a shop on Saturday afternoon to buy snacks but did not return. Her family and area residents initiated a search operation on their own but after failing to find her, they informed police on Sunday morning.

04 KARACHI

Monday, 17 February, 2020

WEATHER UPDATES MONDAY

330C 170C

TUESDAY

330C 190C

WEDNESDAY

320C 170C

THURSDAY

320C 160C

Minor boy injured by stray bullet A twelve-year-old boy wounded after being hit by a stray bullet in Karachi’s Cattle Colony, police told media on Sunday. Police officials said the child is identified as Muzammil who was going with his father and later hit by a bullet fired from an unknown direction on his leg. The injured boy was shifted to Jinnah Hospital and police department initiated an investigation into the incident. Earlier in October last year, a 10-year-old boy had hit by a stray bullet in Karachi’s Orangi Town who had been taken to Civil Hospital of the city for treatment and is said to be in stable condition. Speaking to the media, Arman’s family said that the bullet came from nowhere and pierced in a leg of the kid. In the same month, a seven-year-old Aqsa had lost her life after being hit by a stray bullet at Karachi’s Saeedabad area. The girl was hit by a bullet during the assembly session at her school. After being treated for 48 hours in the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital, she lost her life. NewS DeSk

KARACHI: Amal Nadeem performs traditional song on violin during Lahooti Mela 2020 in Jamshoro. INP

WOMan aRReSTed in cOnnecTiOn WiTH SHaHnaz anSaRi’S MuRdeR ANSARI’S FUNERAL PRAYERS OFFERED IN NAUSHAHRO FEROZE NAUSHAHRO FEROZE

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INP

OlICE officers on Sunday morning have arrested one woman in connection with the assassination of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Member of Sindh Assembly Shahnaz Ansari.

According to details, the security personnel conducted raids all the night and nabbed one woman while search operation is underway to arrest other suspects. It is to be mentioned here that case of the incident has not yet been registered.

Naushahro Feroze Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Mohammad Farooq later told reporters that Ansari had not asked them for security saying, “this practice has ended sometime before of providing security to parliamentarians […] but if she had asked us for security, we would have provided it to her.”

He was responding to a claim made by the slain MPA’s husband a day ear-

lier that he and his wife had visited the SSP some days ago and given him an application seeking security. He said that "the MPA used to come to us frequently as she was a political personality, she came 3-4 days ago too but I don’t have any idea about the doctor [victim's husband].”

According to sources, Ansari had informed the local authorities about a month ago that her late brother-inlaw Dr Zahid Khokhar’s family was threatening her of dire consequences because she was resisting their efforts to forcibly occupy the agriculture land meant for her widowed sister and her children.

However, local media reports confirm that she had written a letter to the commissioner, deputy commissioner and the SSP concerned (whose copy had been forwarded to the speaker of Sindh Assembly), alleging that Akhtar Ali Khokhar, his brothers and his son, Akhtiar Khokhar, were harassing her widowed sister and her.

Revenue dept to act against 19 officials KARACHI: A committee of Sindh Revenue Department has recommended action against 19 officials over irregularities on Sunday. Provincial Minister of Revenue Makhdoom Mehboob uz Zaman had formed a committee to redress complaints of citizens. The committee on instructions of the minister visited various offices of the department and pointed out incorrect record at the offices of assistant commissioners, Mukhtiarkar, Tapedar and other revenue officials. The committee in its report to the Senior Member Board of Revenue recommended departmental action against 19 officials. The body recommended action against Assistant Commissioner Manghopir Sajjad Abro, Mukhtiarkar Pervez Bhutto, former AC Manghopir Mushtaq Jatoi, Manzoor Dars, Nazeer Ahmed Abro, former Mukhtiarkar Manghopir Shah Moazzim, Pervez Malik and Zulfiqar Ali Mangi. The summary of recommended action has been forwarded to the revenue minister Mehboob uz Zaman, sources said. The provincial minister has sent the recommendation to the Chief Secretary of Sindh for implementation. INP

The PPP MPA was gunned down in Naushahro Feroz over the property dispute with Dr Khokar’s family on Saturday.

Shahnaz Ansari suffered three fatal bullet wounds and was taken to Civil Hospital Nawabshah for medical assistance where she succumbed to her injuries.

Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Syed Murad Ali Shah, taking notice of the at-

MITHI Staff RePoRt

At a meeting organised by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), a wide crosssection of activists and professionals from across Tharparkar identified several key human rights issues in the area, including the lack of potable water, the need for more jobs, malnutrition among mothers and children, and forced conversions.

HRCP member and leading human rights activist Krishan Sharma moderated the meeting.

Honorary Spokesperson I A Rehman, Council member Hina Jilani, Co-Chair Uzma Noorani and Secretary-General Harris Khalique reassured participants that HRCP would continue to voice and convey their concerns to decision makers at the federal and provincial levels. HRCP will also continue to conduct fact-finding missions on local issues identified by the communities.

The lack of access to clean water was an overriding concern. One participant alleged that, although the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) had approved a plan to source clean water at various sites, this had not been implemented by the government. Participants felt that the Thar Coal and other development projects should provide more jobs to local residents, although this should be done while mitigating the long-term environmental impact of using coal.

One participant alleged that water supply operators at RO plants had not been paid in six months.

Moreover, they received less than the minimum

tack on MPA Shahnaz Ansari, had demanded a report from the Deputy Commissioner and SSP Naushahro Feroze.

He also called for immediate arrest of the attackers involved in the murder of Shahnaz Ansari.

Meanwhile, funeral prayers of Member of Sindh Assembly (MPA) Shahnaz Ansari were offered in Naushahro Feroze on Sunday morning.

A number of PPP leaders, party workers and others attended the funeral prayers.

PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah, Governor Sindh Imran Ismail and others have condemned the shocking incident.

Ansari was born on 10 January 1970 in Naushahro Feroze. She earned the degree of Bachelor of Arts from the Shah Abdul latif University.

She was elected to the Provincial Assembly of Sindh as a candidate of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) on a reserved seat for women in 2013 election. The PPP leader was reelected to the Provincial Assembly of Sindh on a reserved seat for women in 2018 elections.

Man mugged, shot dead by robbers in Baldia Town KARACHI: A man was first mugged and then shot dead by two robbers in Karachi’s Baldia Town New Colony Saturday night, according to the police. Ilyas, a transporter, was walking with his son when he was stopped by two robbers on a motorcycle.

They took Rs115,000 and a mobile phone from him. “Ilyas tried to trick the robbers by taking out a gun after which they opened fire at him,” a police officer said. According to his son Abid, the robbers also took his father’s gun after shooting him. Ilyas had a legal license for his weapon, his son added.

Members of the transport association living in Baldia Town have complained that incidents of snatching have become common in the area. They have threatened to go on strike if the robbers are not caught immediately. INP

SHO among three injured in Kandhkot encounter KANDHKOT: At least three people including Station House Officer (SHO) Kashmore police on Sunday have sustained severe wounds in Kandhkot encounter. According to details, the incident took place when police personnel and dacoits exchanged fire in Durani Mehr area, leaving three people injured. The victims have been shifted to the civil hospital for medical assistance while investigation into the matter has also been launched. INP

Tharparkar communities ask for their rights

wage. Many participants felt that remote local communities could not access health services because they were too scattered, with families unable to reach the nearest hospital in time in emergencies.

Malnutrition was also linked to cultural barriers, such as early marriage, poor birth spacing and undernutrition among women. The rate of suicide, especially among women, was linked to the absence of mental health services in the area. Representa-

CMYK

tives of the Bheel and Kohli communities expressed their concern at what they see as inadequate political representation by upper-caste political leaders. Women at the meeting also said that there should be a mechanism that allows minority women who are divorced after converting to Islam and marrying Muslim men, to receive livelihood support, given that they are often shunned by their own communities.

Monday, 17 February, 2020

A quiet VAlentine’s DAy CITY NOTES M A NIAZI

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HERE is surely some way better of spending Valentine’s Day than listening to Turkish President Recep Tayip Erdogan address Parliament, but Prime Minister Imran Khan bit the bullet.

Rumours that he thought there would be walkout were exaggerated and may have been mixing up the speeches: Imran and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) boycotted the last speech. But then, President Erdogan must take the rough with the smooth, and he should not expect every member to sit through every speech he makes to the joint session.

After all, this was his fourth but probably not his last.

Meanwhile, Imran does not know how to respond to urgent requests for the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to train the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). After acquittal from charges of abuse of power, the US president went to work on one of the problems with being President: not being able to help friends in legal trouble. One reason this problem has not had obvious application is that the US tends not to elect crooks as president. Still, if a president cannot get the Justice Department to recommend a light sentence for the President’s friends, what’s the point of being elected?

All the prosecutors in the Roger Stone case have resigned, merely because of Trump’s tweets asking they go easy in the sentencing hearing. Stone has already been convicted of tampering with witnesses in the earlier Mueller report case against President Trump. It is a little like Rudy Giuliani.

The whole impeachment centred

on him and Ukraine. So what did he do? Go again to Ukraine.

The problem might be having a president from New York, who admires the mafia. And Trump’ first name is Donald. Which can easily be shortened to the Don. No one so far sleeps with the fishes. That should mean it is all good.

But it is not. The coronavirus crisis is still on, 1367 dead and 51,986 cases in China. What is happening in the rest of the world, no one is saying. Except that someone has died in France, a Chinese tourist.

Meanwhile, we have been told the Pakistan embassy is looking after the kids in Wuhan. Is it serving them cooling drinks and putting cold compresses on their fevered brows? Or just having the ambassador play Ludo with them?

Another place where the coronavirus has spread is Thailand, which recently had its own non-coronavirus deaths, 29 of them, in a mass shooting, by a soldier, who started with his own CO, and then went on from his house to an army camp, and then a shopping mall. The killer was 32, and still a private, but that was not the reason given by the PM, who said it was because a deal over the house went bad.

Well, one reason why all of this became known to Thailand’s enemies was because of the social media, which the cabinet has decided to control. It seems that if you want to operate in Pakistan, you must have an office here. And tell the government who put up the post. It sounds like the same sort of idea as shutting down mobile phones every time any big panjandrum wants to go to the john.

They have not been able to control social media in the US, or you can bet the Democratic Party would get it to keep quiet about the Iowa caucuses, whose results took a while getting out. Because of a faulty app

which did the result reporting.

Sound familiar? Now apps and elections should not be allowed to mix.

And afterwards, Democrats got the New Hampshire primary. We got Naya Pakistan.

Well, one thing we got in Naya Pakistan was the innings defeat for Bangladesh. We should play Bangladesh as much as possible, before any of the boys from the Bangladesh Under-19 team debut. Their Under-19s won the World Cup. I assume their team was all Under-19.

Coming back to social media, on which we depend so much for cricket scores, we are putting controls against them because of national security.

You know you cannot trust the American social media companies. And the companies are full of Indians. And even if those Indians were born in the US, they are still Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supporters. So it makes sense to go after the companies, which are busy spewing a toxic narrative. There should be a ban on any platform which carries the latest inflation figure, for example.

It is funny, but there does not seem to be as much fuss this year about Valentine’s Day. The fuss seems to have shifted to India, where (in Maharashtra) the students of a girls’ college took a pledge against love marriages. It would perhaps have been more impressive if the students of a boys’ college had made the same oath. Anyhow, the marketers seem to have gone underground this year.

Footnote to these notes: Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Political Affairs Naeemul Haque has passed away. He was 70. It was appropriate that he was older than the PM, whom he shadowed so closely.

He may not have brought in the youth vote, but he showed the world that there was no harm in being a wannabe.

Transparent, inclusive development of single national curriculum urged ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Appreciating the work for the development of a single national curriculum, academics and education policy, experts at a daylong seminar were critical of the government’s approach for the purpose and advised it to make the consultation process more transparent and inclusive by engaging more stakeholders.

They also warned the government to be wary of certain elements who think a single national curriculum would strengthen local culture, history, values, and inhibit popularization of ‘secular’ thoughts; the elite who want their children to have an edge over children from other social classes; the recipients of foreign funding who want the Western culture to dominate the social and political arena of Pakistan, as well as the commercial interest groups.

Grave concerns were also expressed by the speakers over various other issues as well including malpractices and negative role of private publishers, equivalence of A-levels as intermediate without compulsory subjects of Urdu, Islamiyat and Pakistan Studies, and lack of any government body to regulate books of O and A levels currently being taught in Pakistan.

The deliberations were held during the Educational Dialogue Forum 2020 (EDF2020) themed ‘Uniform Education System: From Conception to Implementation’, which was organized by Institute of Policy Studies (IPS), Islamabad.

The seminar was addressed as chief guests by Sajid Hasan, former federal secretary for education, and Dr Anis Ahmad, vice chancellor, Riphah International University (RIU), whereas the main speakers included Muhammad Rafique Tahir, joint educational advisor, National Curriculum Council (NCC), Executive President IPS Khalid Rahman, Dr Mian Muhammad Akram, Dr Waqar Masood, Prof Rao Jalil Ahmed, Muhammad Hussain Malik, Dr Arshad Saeed Khan, Dr Muhammad Salim, Prof Mehr Saeed Akhtar, Dr Ameer Nawaz Khan and Dr Muhammad Sharif Nizami, among others.

The speakers were unanimous that the government’s efforts for the development of a uniform national curriculum, was a step in the right direction for the country. This however should be done with proper backing of the constitution, strengthening the legal foundations of the process, taking input from more stakeholders and addressing the processes and responsibilities with more clarity.

NEWS 05 UN chief urges Pakistan, India to de-escalate tensions

CONTINuED frOM pAgE 01 He also said that Pakistan has always supported peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan as it believes that peace in the neighboring country will improve regional stability. FM Qureshi said that Pakistan is a responsible member of the UN and there is a lot of two-way cooperation between the two.

He said that Pakistan is committed to the principles and values of the UN charter. He added that Pakistan supports multilateralism instead of unilateralism.

The foreign minister said that one example of unilateralism is the illegal act of August 5, 2019, by India. He said that Pakistan has conveyed to the general secretary about the challenging situation arising out of this unilateral act. He also said that all shades of Kashmiri opinion have rejected that action.

“We also discussed increased ceasefire violations after the August 5,” he added.

FM Qureshi said that more than 200 days have passed since the siege and lockdown of eight million Kashmiris and compromising of fundamental freedoms in the held territory.

He said UN secretary general is the custodian of UN charter and for this responsibility, Pakistan has some expectations from him. He urged the UN chief to reaffirm the biding nature of the Security Council’s resolutions, besides highlighting the restoration of fundamental rights and freedom of movement and urging India to respect the 2003 ceasefire violations agreement. The foreign minister said he has also asked the UN Chief to ensure freedom of movement of UNMOGIP to fulfil its mandate on the Indian side, just like it enjoys in the Pakistani area.

FM Qureshi said that he also shared the initiatives of the government on socio-economic welfare with the secretary general, including the Ehsaas program, health facility programme and sustainable development goals. He further said they had unanimity of views on climate challenge issues.

Earlier, while responding to a question during a conference on climate change, the UN chief stressed that human rights must be respected in occupied Kashmir and advocated the need for enhanced dialogue between Pakistan and India. He said that he has been expressing very clearly the absolute need for human rights to be fully respected in occupied Kashmir. He also said that two reports presented by the UNHCR on the situation show a solid contribution to that and those reports are very important in clarifying the situation. He added that the UN’s strong commitment is clear that human rights must be respected anywhere in the world.

He further said that his good offices, which he has offered more than once for the resolution of bilateral disputes, can be accepted if both countries agree to it.

CLIMATE CHANGE: While addressing the conference on climate change, he underlined the need to step up actions to achieve goals of climate change and sustainable development. Goals of global peace and pros-

perity are linked with the alleviation of poverty, inequality and hunger, he added.

The UN chief also appreciated steps taken by the incumbent government to address the negative impacts of climate change in Pakistan. In her address, Minister of State for Climate Change Zartaj Gul said that the government has taken concrete measures to address the challenges of climate change.

Adviser to Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam said that Pakistan is the fifth most vulnerable country, which suffers the most from climate-related disasters in the long-term.

He said that the incumbent government has zero-tolerance policy against timber mafia involved in illegal deforestation and massive cutting down of trees in the country.

The adviser said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (TPI) government launched the Billion Tree Tsunami project in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) to address threats and challenges of climate change. He said that the government recently approved an ambitious electric vehicle policy, with an objective to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. The adviser said that the government increased 16 per cent budget for development projects related to environment and climate change.

AFGHAN REFUGEES: Earlier in the day, a delegation of Afghan refugees called on the UN chief in Islamabad. They discussed matters pertaining to the rehabilitation of refugees. Speaking on the occasion, the UN Chief said that Pakistan is one of the largest refugee-hosting nations in the world.

He said that overall 2.7 million refugees are residing in Pakistan with 2.4 million registered refugees affected by the Afghan war.

He expressed gratitude to people and the Pakistani government for their heartfelt hospitality. Representatives from Afghanistan, Yemen and Tajikistan were part of the delegation. The UN secretary general arrived in Islamabad to attend an international conference on Afghan refugees. On arrival at the Nur Khan Airbase, he was received by Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN Munir Akram and senior officers of the Foreign Office (FO) and the UN in Pakistan.

During his four-day stay, the UN chief will call on President Dr Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Imran Khan. During these meetings, Pakistan’s perspective on all aspects of the Kashmir dispute will be shared with the UN secretary general. His other engagements include interactions with parliamentarians, media and the youth. He will deliver special talks on themes of sustainable development, climate change and peacekeeping. He will also pay a visit to Lahore and will travel to Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib.

Earlier, on his way to Pakistan, the UN chief tweeted that Pakistan is one of the most consistent and reliable contributors to the UN peacekeeping efforts around the world.

Lauding Pakistan’s contribution to worldwide peacekeeping efforts, Guterres said that he is visiting the country to express his gratitude to the people.

Tea culture in Pakistan: The fondest social activity ISLAMABAD APP

Tea is not just a hot beverage in Pakistan, it is rather an obsession and one of the most common drinks offered to guests from family to official gatherings and almost everyone welcomes to take at least a cup of it wholeheartedly. Offering tea to someone is a token of appreciation and part of the hospitality which is also taken as a metaphor that means “We like and welcome you”. But the consumption of tea is not limited to it as it has become a mandatory part of the daily life of almost every household in the country.

Over the years, the consumption of tea has been incorporated into different cultures around the world although many countries had different kinds of

tea leaves with different ways to consume them.

Japan, China, India, Thailand, Britain, Morocco and Russia are some of the countries where tea is consumed in large amount and they had their own specialty in serving them.

The origin of the tea culture in the subcontinent may be traced back to the world’s most renowned civilization of tea-drinkers; The British Empire. By the mid-1700s, it had realized the exorbitant costs of its gentry’s addiction to tea.

One of the most intriguing and exciting questions one can ask from a Pakistani is “Chai piyeain gay aap?” (‘will you have Tea?’). This one question ties the two or more people to get involved in a long conversation of unbreakable bond of “Chai-hood”.

The evidence of the use of tea leaves in this part of the world may be found back in 750 B.C. However, its commercial use did not begin until the markets in subcontinent began flooding with tea around the 1830s.

Pakistani Tea is not quite the same as that of the British. ‘Chai’ in the subcontinent is generally stronger, creamier, sweeter and often served in handle-less glasses at the tea shops.

However, the very culture of teadrinking in the subcontinent is owed largely due to the influence of the British traders.

Tea is one of the most consumed beverages in Pakistani cuisine. It is considered as one the fondest social activity.

If you are bored at office, you and your colleagues want to have a cup of tea to-

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gether. You want to meet your friends, “Let’s have a Tea Party”. It is like an unsaid social contract among all Pakistanis.

If you’re meeting someone and are likely to have a professional or personnel conversation, Chai is the savior you need right there. However, the best tea leaves are not brewed at home, a well-known fact for all of the Pakistan. They are brewed outside most probably at the truck stops or a ‘dhabas’, makes it a good reason to go out with friends and chill.

It is also a healthy beverage unlike all the soft drinks which come in tin or paper packing. If you had to choose something to drink then choose chai as it has less caffeine than coffee and less sugar than soda. It has theamine that helps reduce anxiety and flavonoids that help protect

against heart disease and cancer.

Pakistan produces its own limited tea in Chinkiari (KP) farms; however, it ranks as the third largest importer of tea in the world. According to 2018 report published by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, Pakistan was among the seven countries where per capita consumption of tea has been increased.

Talking to APP, Haji Kareem, the owner of the oldest grocery store in G-6 sector of Islamabad, said the most wanted item of people’s grocery list is Tea. “Tea has always been among the top essentials food items that people buy for their kitchens and it did not even get effected by the increasing inflation rate as public tends to buy the tea with the same passion and fondness”, he added.

Monday, 17 February, 2020

06 WORLD VIEW

Can the West regain its influenCe? THE THEME OF THE 2020 MUNICH SECURITY CONFERENCE, ‘WESTLESSNESS,’ REFLECTS THE CRISIS FACING THE WEST AND THE DECLINE OF THE POST-1945, WESTERN-LED MULTILATERAL ORDER. BUT CAN IT BE REVERSED?

Carnegie europe JUDY DEMPSEY

MICHAEL BARNETT PROFESSOR OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS AND POLITICAL SCIENCE AT THE GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY No. Not if by the West we mean the select group of privileged states that ruled the world mainly for its own benefit, but with some sense that others should benefit, too.

The West’s influence was partially dependent on its material wealth and its moral purpose, both of which are in decline, and so the West has ceased to be the soft power that it once was. The West’s (United States’) form of economic organization no longer appeals, and it has demonstrated little of the moral backbone that once defined it.

Western influence was not only about power over but also about power to, and the West no longer knows what the two is and the rest no longer buy what the West is selling.

CARL BILDT CO-CHAIR OF THE EUROPEAN COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS Short answer: No and yes.

No, because we no longer live in the world shaped by the Atlantic powers that shaped the so-called postwar world. The rise of the revisionist powers, as well as the rise of the rest, is creating new dynamics of global power. In this respect, there is no way back to the “old world of the West.”

Yes, because the democracies of the Western world can do much better than they are at the moment. The Anglo-Saxon powers that in different ways created and upheld the old Western order are today in disarray or in retreat—with Britain retreating from Europe and the United States retreating from the world.

Perhaps a “new West” can further down the line be shaped by a Europe that is more confident in itself and has learnt the art of combining power and values in a world that will require common rules and common action to meet common challenges. Such a Europe must reach out to powers like India and Japan, to name just two, and engage in building global alliances beyond the immediate issues of security.

Such a “new West” must obviously include a United States that has found a new balance in its policies for a new era.

KRZYSZTOF BLEDOWSKI COUNCIL DIRECTOR AND SENIOR ECONOMIST AT THE MANUFACTURERS ALLIANCE FOR PRODUCTIVITY AND INNOVATION The West still holds its preponderant influence in the world, albeit less convincingly so than just two decades ago.

The vast majority of the world’s migrants choose the West over alternative destinations. That is because the West— and not Russia or China—has authored blueprints for best practices in political stability, economic efficiency, and protection of rights. Leadership to manage global public goods, such as sound climate, maritime safety, financial stability, or peacekeeping comes almost exclusively from Western countries.

That said, some parts of the West no longer aspire to holding onto the tried and tested ways. The drift from proven success paths in countries such as Turkey, Hungary, or South Africa is notable. The reasons behind the deviations are myriad.

However, what matters is whether these countries manage to return to normalcy or slip away from upholding the core values. By contrast, rejection of Western norms lies at the heart of polities subjected to political or military

IF AMERICA WERE A RACING CAR LEADING THE FLEET OF OTHER WESTERN VEHICLES, ITS BUMPER STICKER WOULD NOW READ: ‘ASK NO LONGER WHAT THE USA CAN DO FOR YOU, ASK WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR THE USA’ capture—in Iran, Russia, and China.

In the end, “Westlessness”—the theme of the 2020 Munich Security Conference—will also depend on the resilience of non-Western practices. So far, their track record is not encouraging for them. Overall, the death of the West’s influence is exaggerated.

KATE HANSEN BUNDT SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE NORWEGIAN ATLANTIC COMMITTEE It depends on the historical reference point. If it’s the West’s influence as it was in 1913, the answer is no. If it’s 1991, I will say hardly. If it’s 2000, maybe.

But in order to stand up for Western influence, we need leadership, capabilities, and a common understanding of the core elements of the West in a globalized, digitalized twenty-first century.

First, we need to stop moralizing over internal political differences and the result of free elections—be it the Brexit referendum or the election of U.S. President Donald Trump—and just acknowledge that free elections are a fundamental Western value. If we also add rule of law and individual rights with freedom of speech at its core, we have a minimum definition of the “West” most Westerners can agree upon.

Second, to protect these core elements against authoritarian forces of all kinds, relevant military capabilities, trade policies, and civilian resilience are essential.

Finally, Europe needs leadership. As we are moving toward a qualitatively new bipolar system—a U.S.-China standoff—Europeans will have to deal with their internal divergences, a Middle East in turmoil, and an assertive Russia largely by themselves.

This will require resolve, money, and courage from all European democracies, small and big, EU members and non-members, preferably inside a reformed NATO. HEATHER A. CONLEY SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT FOR EUROPE, EURASIA, AND THE ARCTIC AND DIRECTOR OF THE EUROPE PROGRAM AT THE CENTER FOR STRATEGIC AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES For me, the meaning of the “West” is an aspirational framework where rules, norms, laws, and values protect and respect the dignity of the individual. This is the source of the West’s influence, attractiveness, and power.

Western political elites lost sight of their responsibilities to address the needs of citizens and prioritized the preservation of their own political power. The elites’ lack of response gave space for all manner of demagogues to claim the mantle that only they truly represent the voice of “the people” and anyone who stands in their way are the people’s enemy.

These demagogues are only interested in their own power for their corrupt ends.

But from this dark place, the West has already begun to restore itself. The global aspirations of a digital new generation demand a greater respect for and dignity of the individual that responds to their needs—be that on climate change, access to affordable housing, a society free from corruption, or improved health care.

Politics are being upended across the Atlantic community as political experimentation unexpectedly introduces both the young and untested as well as radical and fascist voices.

The West’s influence continues to reverberate around the globe as political awakenings and demands for the dignity of the individual grow across Africa, the Middle East, as well as in Hong Kong and

in Russia. It is the political elite that roams the halls of the Munich Security Conference that is losing its influence, not the true West.

PAUL HAENLE DIRECTOR OF THE CARNEGIE-TSINGHUA CENTER FOR GLOBAL POLICY The erosion of Western influence is, to an extent, expected given shifting global power dynamics, which include the rise of China, rapid development of India, and resurgence of Russia.

As other powers grow in strength, it is natural for there to be a greater dispersion of power and influence, and the West is unlikely to regain, any time soon, the major influence it wielded in the post–World War II era.

However, Western countries can take steps to prevent the unnecessary loss of influence. This is especially true in Washington, where Trump, through his “America first” approach, has discarded foreign policy principles central to the success of the United States and Europe in establishing the post-1945 world order.

Trump’s zero-sum view of the world and related isolationist policies are, by and large, short-sighted and self-defeating.

His contempt of multilateralism diminishes America’s ability to work with like-minded powers in the West to strengthen the international order, precisely at the moment it needs a major update and revitalization.

Ironically, as the Trump administration laments the rise of “revisionist powers” like China and Russia that undermine Western values, it is implementing policies of its own that limit, not amplify, American soft power and influence. As I have previously argued, many in Beijing have now come to the conclusion that, given the damage Trump is doing to America’s position in the world, four more years of him would be a strategic opportunity for China.

To have a fighting chance of maintaining strong influence in an increasingly multipolar world, Washington must start by reversing those Trump administration policies that result in strengthening the position of America’s competitors while weakening its own.

BRIGID LAFFAN DIRECTOR OF THE ROBERT SCHUMAN CENTRE FOR ADVANCED STUDIES AT THE EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE The strategy of “America First” has fractured the West and eroded U.S. global leadership at a time when Chinese power is growing throughout Asia and beyond.

U.S.-China relations have become increasingly competitive as these two great powers vie for power and influence.

There is a lot at stake for Europe and the like-minded states that once thrived in the postwar liberal order.

Europe has had a wake-up call and has responded by beginning to speak the language of power. There is an extensive discussion of technological sovereignty and strategic autonomy. The challenge now is to translate this into influence and action.

Unless Europe remains a global player, it will become a global playground. To avoid this, Europeans must be united and use their full policy toolkit to close the technological gap that has opened up with the United States and China. Europe has to take seriously the need to protect its strategic infrastructure, particularly connectivity. In addition, it has to assess how to best position itself with like-minded states in different spheres of the multilateral system.

This will require a Europe that moves from a defensive stance to one where it invests in its own strength.

NORA MÜLLER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS AT KÖRBER-STIFTUNG As we are entering the 2020s, uncontested Western predominance has arguably become a thing of the past.

This is in part due to fundamental geopolitical trends such as the shifting of the world’s economic and political center of gravity toward the Asia-Pacific and the rise of China.

However, this is not the whole story.

Internal divisions, centrifugal forces, and an eroding values base afflict the West.

While only dyed-in-the-wool nostalgics consider a return to a Western-led global order possible (and desirable), resuscitating the West by curing its internal ills is not beyond reach.

From a Berlin point of view, strengthening the West should start on its doorstep, in Europe, first and foremost by bringing the Franco-German relationship back on track and by keeping the UK as close as possible. Beyond the old continent, Europe and the United States must find a way to return to cooperation at a strategic level.

These are tall orders. But if we are serious about preventing “Westlessness” from becoming a diagnosis rather than just a warning, it will be on all of “us Westerners” to ensure that the 2020s go down in history as the decade of Western resilience rather than as the “Westless Twenties.”

SHIMON STEIN SENIOR RESEARCH FELLOW AT THE INSTITUTE FOR NATIONAL SECURITY STUDIES The “West” that we came to know from the post–World War II years until the end of the Cold War and shortly thereafter no longer exists, and the question of whether it can regain its influence is therefore a mute one.

And not only because of the fact that the global power equation has tilted away from the “West” (or is in the process of tilting), but also because we no longer speak of a “West” that is united behind principles and policies—such as values, a rules-based order, multilateralism, and common threats. There is no one reason for these developments.

However, there is no doubt that the United States under Trump, for whom “America First” is what drives the U.S. national interest while all else is of secondary importance, has sped up the process of the fragmentation of the “West.” As to the future, at best, we can hope that on certain issues vital to “Western” states, we could see the formation of coalitions of the willing.

The rest is only a dream about the glorious past, like what the UK under Prime Minister Boris Johnson is now engaged in.

DMITRI TRENIN DIRECTOR OF THE CARNEGIE MOSCOW CENTER The West as a civilization is certainly not going away. It still has a lot to offer, particularly in the realm of science technology. It also remains very rich and continues to rule global economics and finance.

The West as a democratic political model, however, is losing attraction. The intense political, social, and ideological crisis—virtually a cold civil war—in the United States, the debilitating Brexit havoc in the UK, and the widespread disillusionment with political elites within the EU countries reduce the number of those in the world who would now want to emulate Western political systems.

The West as a geopolitical construct is a child of the Cold War. It has matured,

survived its end, and continued for over two decades on the strength of inertia.

However, the growth of nationalism, above all in the United States, transforms its former liberal pattern of governance.

The United States, facing serious competition from China, Russia, and others, is now boldly using its immense power to reassert its unilateral command position within the West. If America were a racing car leading the fleet of other Western vehicles, its bumper sticker would now read: “Ask no longer what the USA can do for you, ask what you can do for the USA.” MILAN VAISHNAV DIRECTOR OF THE SOUTH ASIA PROGRAM AND SENIOR FELLOW AT THE CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE In my view, the West can slow down the pace of its relative decline, but it will be hard-pressed to reverse it.

The economic center of gravity has long been shifting from the West toward the East, as the dramatic rise of China and the impressive, though less dramatic, rise of India amply demonstrate. In the case of India, in particular, we see a much more nationalist, assertive, and confident power, which seeks to work with the West, but on its own terms.

Whether it is about allowing Huawei to participate in the country’s 5G trials, purchasing S-400 missile systems from Russia over American objections, or combating U.S. trade protectionism by erecting domestic barriers of its own, India feels that the West needs it as much as the other way around. We can expect this assertiveness to grow as the balance of power continues to shift eastward.

MAHA YAHYA DIRECTOR OF THE CARNEGIE MIDDLE EAST CENTER In short, yes. But only by acknowledging that it can no longer dominate the rest. And by admitting to the growing economic and political power of a resurgent Asia as well as the disruptive capacities of technology.

That wealth and productivity are shifting East is in evidence everywhere we look. Emerging markets for example now produce more than half of the world’s GDP. With the digital age, the world is undergoing a dramatic transformation, making it more complex, more challenging, and also more insecure. Growing populism in Western societies and their seeming shift inward is in part the result of the profound and uneven impact of these changes.

As the world becomes more unpredictable, Western countries must work to strengthen global governance, and they can only do so in concert.

First, they need to narrow their differences in how to address global challenges such as growing instability in the Middle East and how to work with a rising China and a more militarized Russia.

Second, they need to accept the principles of equitable burden sharing when it comes to global issues like the growing number of refugees and displaced and economic migrants or the impacts of climate change. These can take place by upgrading multilateral institutions, including the UN General Assembly.

Innovation will also play a key role in sustaining the influence of the West. To attract the brightest minds, it must begin by reaffirming the fundamental principles within which invention and creativity thrive: freedom, equality, and the rule of law. It must also work to reduce widening economic inequalities, which are fueling greater discontent within Western societies and across the globe.

Monday, 17 February, 2020

FOREIGN NEWS 07

IsrAel strIkes GAzA, cAncels eAsInG of restrIctIons TEL AVIV

t

AGENCIES

HE Israeli air force attacked Hamas positions in the Gaza Strip on Saturday in retaliation to rocket fire from the Palestinian enclave into Israel, a military statement said.

The exchange of fire between both sides has escalated since last month after US President Donald Trump unveiled his Middle East peace plan, angrily rejected by the Palestinians as a capitulation to Israeli objectives.

“Fighter planes and helicopters have targeted positions of the terrorist organisation Hamas in central Gaza Strip,” including a military post, said the Israeli military, which earlier reported two projectiles had been fired into the Jewish state from the Gaza Strip.

Following the rocket fire, Israel announced it would cancel a slight easing of the blockade on the Gaza Strip.

“The extension of the fishing

Azeri police detain opposition leaders, block protest against election result BAKU: Police in Azerbaijan detained three opposition party leaders and more than 100 activists on Sunday before they were due to take part in a protest against the results of last week’s national election, which have been questioned by international observers. According to the Central Election Commission (CEC), the ruling Yeni Azerbaijan (New Azerbaijan) party won 72 out of 125 seats in the single-chamber parliament last Sunday, with nearly all other seats going to small parties and independents loyal to President Ilham Aliyev. Before Sunday’s unauthorized protest was scheduled to start, police detained either at their homes or outside their party headquarters the leader of the REAL party, Ilgar Mamedly, the leader of the Musavat Party, Arif Gajily, and the head of the D18 opposition movement, Ruslan Izzetly. All three failed to win seats in last week’s election.

Dozens of riot police surrounded the election commission’s building, where the protest had been due to start from, and put anyone arriving to take part in the demonstration on a bus, a Reuters witness at the scene said. Some protesters held up posters saying: “Abolish election results!” or “We demand free elections!”

Police officials declined to comment on arrests. International monitors found widespread procedural violations in the vote count, which they said raised doubt about the honesty of the election. Aliyev had called the election nine months early to consolidate his authority and speed economic reforms. AGENCIES

zone, the restoration of 500 commercial permits and the delivery of cement have been cancelled,” because of the rocket fire, COGAT, the Israel

defence ministry unit that oversees civilian activities in the Palestinian territories, said in a statement.

Hamas and Israel have fought three wars since 2008 but over the past year, the Islamists had gradually shaped an informal truce with Israel, under which the Jewish state has eased its crippling blockade of Gaza.

Israel justifies the blockade by the need to contain the Islamist movement Hamas — designated a terrorist organisation by much of the West — which has controlled the enclave since 2007.

Critics say it is collective punishment of two million people and feeds extremism.

Palestinians in Gaza have launched rockets, mortar shells and balloons rigged with explosives at southern Israel on a near-daily basis since Trump’s plan was unveiled.

Another 70 people test positive for coronavirus on ship in Japan TOKYO AGENCIES

Another 70 people on board a quarantined cruise ship in Japan have tested positive for the coronavirus, bringing the total number of cases from the vessel to 355, Japanese health minister Katsunobu Kato said on Sunday.

The Diamond Princess, owned

by Carnival Corp, has been quarantined since arriving in Yokohama, southwest of Tokyo, on February 3, after a man who disembarked in Hong Kong before it travelled to Japan was diagnosed with the virus.

The ship, with some 3,700 passengers and crew on board, has the most coronavirus infections outside China. Those testing positive are transferred to Japanese hospitals.

No one from the ship has died of the virus. “We must anticipate a spread of infections from now and must build medical systems and so on to focus efforts to prevent people from becoming gravely ill or dying,” Kato said in a programme on state broadcaster Nippon Hoso Kyokai (NHK).

“We will make the people feel at ease by providing information in a timely manner, and continue to [take] forestall measures,” he said.

The United States, Canada and Hong Kong are sending aircraft to Japan to bring back their citizens on board the ship.

The US Embassy in Tokyo said passengers and crew on board the ship were at high risk of exposure to the virus and it recommended that its citizens get off and take one of the flights home. “This is a rapidly evolving situation and we are taking additional steps to assist US citizens,” it said.

The embassy said all passengers would be screened before being allowed to board the chartered flights and everyone would be quarantined for 14 days upon arrival back in the United States.

“No symptomatic or infected passengers will be allowed to board,” it said.

Clyde Smith, 80, who was evacuated from the ship to a Tokyo hospital after testing positive for the

virus told Reuters on Sunday he had not been told if he would be allowed on a US evacuation plane.

Hong Kong authorities said they were also sending chartered flights to bring Hong Kong residents and Canada has also chartered a plane to repatriate Canadians on the ship, both governments said.

Latest figures from Beijing on Sunday showed 68,500 cases of the new coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19, and 1,665 deaths, mostly in Hubei province.

Japan has had 53 cases of the coronavirus, apart from those on the ship, NHK reported, with one of only four deaths from the virus outside mainland China in Japan. Hong Kong, the Philippines and France have all had single virus deaths.

france 'impatient' over lack of German drive to reform eU: Macron PARIS AGENCIES

President Emmanuel Macron said Saturday France was growing “impatient” with the lack of German response to its push to strengthen the European Union after Brexit. Asked at the Munich Security Conference if he was frustrated by Chancellor Angela Merkel’s silence on his proposed reforms, Macron said: “I’m not frustrated, I’m impatient.” “We have a history of waiting for answers” from each other, he said. “What’s key in the coming years is to move much faster on issues of sovereignty on the European level.” Macron has long pushed for an ambitious overhaul of the European Union in response to Britain’s departure from the bloc, including deeper integration in financial and defence matters.

Although Paris and Berlin are traditionally spoken of as the twin “motors” of the European project, Macron’s hopes that the two neighbours could spearhead the reforms together have been dashed

by German foot-dragging. Resistance from Germany and others saw Macron’s flagship proposal of a common eurozone budget watered down to a tiny budget for selected projects. His recent offer to put France’s nuclear deterrence at the heart of Europe’s defence strategy has also met with a cool response from Berlin, wary of straying from the US nuclear shield within NATO. “I maintain that the protection of many countries here in Europe is guaranteed by the alliance with NATO,” German Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said in Munich. Any talk of strengthening Europe should above all be about “strengthening the European pillar within NATO,” she added. But with the Merkel era drawing to close as the veteran chancellor plans to bow out in 2021, Macron may well be looking to the next German government to put his reform push back on track. At the conference, he met with leaders of Germany’s surging Greens party, as well as top figures in Merkel’s CDU/CSU conservative bloc.

Master of false news gives right-wing Americans headlines they believe AUGUSTA AGENCIES

Christopher Blair produces false stories he insists are easily identifiable as satire rather than news. His pages can rack up millions of views, and at least part of that audience believes the material is true.

Blair, 48, runs eight websites and five Facebook pages from his home in the northeastern US state of Maine. He says the claims his articles make are “ridiculous,” such as that President Donald Trump’s current term could be extended by three years.

But his content is widely shared by people who take it as fact, contributing to the spread of false information online.

Blair — a self-described “liberal troll” and political activist — says he knows what to write for his right-wing “target audience” through years of “being embedded in their world.”

He does not hold that audience in high regard. “They live on… fear and hate and misinformation and very specific storylines that everybody knows aren’t

true except for them,” he told AFP. His content is rife with disclaimers: Satire. Fake news fact-check. Nothing on this page is real.

If someone clicks through to Blair’s articles, instead of instantly sharing them based on a headline, the warnings are visible. But often, it appears that people do not.

Asked why people believe and share the articles, Blair answers: “Confirmation bias.”

“These people are told that they’re sharing satire, and it doesn’t matter,” he says. “The truth is no longer important to them. All they care about is holding on to their hate and fear.”

The spread of false information is a significant problem in the run-up to the 2020 US elections, but Blair says his readers’ minds are already made up, and that his content is “not going to impact the vote.”

HATE FILLED LIES: Blair says he previously tried to debate conservatives online, with little success.

“You just get called names and told that you hate America,” he says.

So he turned to his current approach.

It started out as “trolling for a good laugh,” but evolved into an effort to “to teach the truth to those who are otherwise unteachable.”

“The people who share our content don’t care about the truth. They share 500 things a day, most of which are hate-filled lies. When they share something of ours, there’s a chance at accountability,” he says.

According to Blair, this takes the form of “a group of a couple hundred trolls” who “patrol the pages,” make sure there is “accountability for the people commenting” and tell people they are sharing satire.

“These people, they absolutely do not respond to logic and reason, but they do respond to shame if they’re embarrassed by what they’ve done, by the fact that they’ve shared” it, he says.

Not everyone agrees that approach is helpful, or harmless.

“This type of content has a pervasive and eroding effect on our shared set of facts, and without that, it’s hard to remain

a society that can come together and make collective decisions,” says Graham Brookie, director of the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab, which focuses on identifying and exposing disinformation.

Of Blair’s tactics, Brookie says: “It is a pretty big assumption and risk when much of the audience shares based on headlines and even a highly engaged minority of his audience starts to believe him.”

Monday, 17 February, 2020

08 COMMENT IMF intends to collect The success of the IMF review will cost the common man

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N a negotiation which went into extra time, the IMF and Pakistan came to an agreement on how to proceed further. there has been an apparent agreement that Pakistan will take a number of measures by the coming 2020-2021 budget in order for the IMF to release the third tranche of $452 million, of the total $3 billion package. the prior actions that Pakistan has to take are all going to hurt the common man hard, even though the preconditionalities already met, such as the high interest rate and the rupee devaluation, have so far gutted jobs and growth, and sparked off an inflationary cycle made only worse by the recent wheat and sugar shortages. However, the PtI government has no real choice but to take the political hit from the steps it must take to satisfy the IMF, as the alternative of default and getting off the IMF package cold turkey, is unthinkable.

While obtaining a rollover of Chinese CPEC loans may not have a direct impact on the ordinary man, the fiscal adjustment plan, which actually means a hike in taxes, and the hike in gas and electricity tariffs, will. the IMF team stuck to the reduction it had made in the revenue collection target from Rs 5.55 trillion to Rs 5.238 trillion. the revenue target, even though revised downward, is not on track towards being met, with the collection so far indicating that the final figure might be about Rs 4.46 trillion, a shortfall of about Rs 768 billion. Pakistan had asked for a much larger reduction, but that was not agreed, and thus room remains for Pakistan being wrenched off the programme if it does not fulfil this target.

Pakistan should have clarified the issues it did during the current review at the time of making the original agreement. Even though the IMF got Pakistan to sack its Finance Minister and bring on board a World Bank man as PM’s Finance Adviser, it seems the IMF was unable to put in place an agreement that could be implemented.

Now there is arising the possibility that even though its top economic managers are more or less picked by the IMF, Pakistan may not be able to meet the programme’s targets.

The grass is greener?

Asif’s son wonders about Nawaz’s daughter

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AKIStAN Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has expressed the hope PML(N) Vice-President Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s silence, and PML(N) President Shahbaz Sharif’s continued absence abroad, are not part of any deal. He would perhaps sounded more credible if he and his party had made a stronger show of opposition amid that silence, and during that absence. As it is, his own party had not provided the JUI(F) more than token support during its recent Long March and left it to its own devices. Only if he had been leading his own party in the fullest and most complete opposition would he have been able to express criticism of the PML(N) leaders. Mr Zardari might find that his own party’s performance, as well as his own, might be subject to similar criticism, after his father, exPresident Asif Zardari, was released on bail. the possibility of a deal or understanding is equal for both major opposition parties. In recent days, Mr Bhutto Zardari’s own appearance before NAB interrogators in a money laundering case, provide more ammunition to charges that the PPP is angling for relief. Mr Bhutto Zardari in Parliament has most recently engaged in lowering the tone of the House by his struggles with PtI legislators. While he may well argue that he didn’t start it, the fact remains that he was involved.

Pakistani politics may well be passing to another generation, as the late Benazir Bhutto’s son speculates about Nawaz Sharif’s daughter. However, remaining relevant to the country’s politics does not mean sniping at the other. that should be best left to the PtI, which is more than equal to the task. At the same time, Mr Bhutto Zardari’s remarks should also be seen in the context of the murkiness and opacity created in national politics by the possibility of the leaders of one opposition party or the other doing a deal in order to obtain some relief from imprisonment, not merely with the government, but with the establishment as a whole. Mr Bhutto Zardari’s remarks sound like the virulent, no-holds-barred antagonism of the 20th century; he might well remember that he and Ms Sharif are supposed to be 21st century politicians, and those remarks would enthuse an increasingly geriatric audience.

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

Umar Aziz

Asher John

Joint Editor

Executive Editor

Deputy Editor

Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

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IMF’s end-of-mission statement and ground realities There has been no revision of the programme

Dr. Omer JaveD

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O initiate discussions on the second review of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) programme, a mission of International Monetary Fund (IMF) visited Pakistan during February 3-13, 2020. the mission released a press release at the conclusion of the visit, whereby as per the press release, the mission pointed out that ‘Considerable progress has been made in the last few months in advancing reforms and continuing with sound economic policies. All end-December performance criteria were met, and structural benchmarks have been completed... In implementing the program, development and social spending have been accelerated.’

Although the government will be most probably be happy to receive this assessment from the IMF, it is highly unlikely that the consumers and investors will share the same euphoria, given they are suffering from low growth, and that too diminishing, in the agriculture and manufacturing sectors– major absorbers of employment in the country–, double digit inflation, a high policy rate, and a difficult exchange rate, a ballooning fiscal deficit, the slow pace of reform, including in two important sectors of energy and state-owned enterprises, and a low level of development spending especially in the social sectors.

Strangely, the press release makes no mention of the issues of the sort indicated above. Instead what is mentioned is a rosy economic affair, whereby ‘the macroeconomic outlook remains broadly as expected at the time of the first review. Economic activity has stabilized and remains on the path of gradual recovery. the current account deficit has declined, helped by the real exchange rate that is now broadly in line

with fundamentals, while international reserves continue to rebuild at a pace considerably faster than anticipated. Inflation should start to see a declining trend as the pass-through of exchange rate depreciation has been absorbed and supplyside constraints appear to be temporary. Fiscal performance in the first half of the fiscal year remained strong, with the general government registering a primary surplus of 0.7 percent of GDP on the back of strong domestic tax revenue growth. Development and social spending have been accelerated.’ Let’s analyze.

Keeping interest rate high, and leaving the exchange rate mostly market-determined, Pakistan indeed has been able to narrow down its current account deficit mainly on the back of a huge decrease of imports. that reduction in imports did not just account for less consumption, but also decreased imports of machinery and materials for the two major sectors of the country in the shape of agriculture and manufacturing.

No wonder then that this has been a big reason for the slowdown in growth of both these sectors, which has not only kept the expected overall growth projections for FY2018/19 to just around 3 percent, but unemployment has increased, and with it any gains reached through increased social spending will be heavily dented by the slowdown in economic activity, and in turn will add to the poverty level and to income inequality overall.

And to what end? Inflation has remained stubborn, and it would because it is at least equally a fiscal phenomenon in developing countries like Pakistan. Hence, greater intervention of fiscal/governance-related policy was the need instead of persisting with a tight monetary policy. that did not come, even when the signals to this end were clear for many months now that high interest rate will not be of much help, especially in dealing with food prices. On top of that to make matters worse for economic activity, the real interest rate was taken relative to headline inflation and not core inflation as generally is the case for developing countries where food and energy prices (the latter case as Pakistan is a net importer of oil) have little correlation with interest rates.

It was hoped that the IMF mission would take note of these anomalies in programme design, but the mission-concluding statement has no reference to all this. Moreover, keeping the interest rate high to induce portfolio investment, and to build foreign exchange reserves on the back of ‘hot money’ is a risky policy and the

huge sacrifice ratio in terms of large economic activity forgone and overall getting all the more trapped in the stagflationary situation, to obtain this highly fluid portion of reserves of not much magnitude anyway, is a policy choice of the like of walking on thin ice. If this situation leaves IMF, and in turn the economic team of Pakistan, satisfied, then there is not much else left to be said anyway.

On top of that, given that the government is under a huge amount of domestic debt, mainly at the back of bailing out the state-owned enterprises (SOEs), and the energy sector, where circular debt has amassed to Rs. 1.7 trillion, along with government being the major borrower of loanable funds, the higher interest rate has meant a high level of domestic debt repayments that the government is having to make. Imagine the funds available with the government to make all the more development expenditure and social spending, if these repayments were less.

Also, how can the reforms be making any significant headway, as is being indicated by the IMF, given that the two main areas, in the shape of SOEs and circular debt, are still sucking in so much bailout money.

On the other hand, because of revenue shortfall on account of reduced imports and diminishing economic activity, and increased expenditures, for the reasons mainly responsible for these highlighted earlier, the fiscal deficit has also ballooned. In that sense primary surplus does not make much sense because debt repayments are huge and likely to rise because the pace of reform is very slow. the IMF’s and the government’s celebratory tone then on achieving a primary surplus is highly misplaced.

Overall, institutional quality has not improved much, and that is a real worry sign because research has shown that without it any macroeconomic stability and positivity in growth are mostly short-lived and do not have any sustained basis. that is perhaps one of the reasons, historically speaking, that immediately after an IMF programme generally, any macroeconomic adjustment reached by the recipient country gets even worse than before the programme situation. Hence, both the IMF and the government should see the ground realities more clearly.

Dr Omer Javed holds PhD in Economics degree from the University of Barcelona, and previously worked at International Monetary Fund. He tweets @omerjaved

And we call them teachers….

Teachers do a very important job Dr Yusra Tus saleha siDDiqui

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t is a sunny afternoon in Karachi as I see my two five-year-old cousins coming out of the school building. I rush to greet them and help them with their bags; they immediately start to tell me about their day “Miss Saira gave me a star today” Fawzan proudly held up his starstudded hand for me to examine. “Only star? I got a chocolate from her,” informed Shaheer, even prouder. throughout the drive back home, I was filled in with details of their day at school, which unsurprisingly involved a lot of appreciative conversation regarding their class teachers. I realized how Impactful teachers are on one’s life.

A teacher is society’s most noble asset. She is responsible for early personality development and shaping a child’s character. A child spends a good chunk of his day under supervision by teachers and they have a huge role in moulding his personality and helping him discover himself. From age three to age 18, a child is subject to a school’s environment which ideally trains him to find the career that is destined for him.

During this journey, if he encounters a bad teacher, it is likely to negatively impact his life leading to society’s most taboo problems– anxiety and depression.

Like all, despite being schooled by what are called best in the city, I have been an eyewitness and sometimes victim of these bad teacher experiences. Experiencing cases, such as being told to tolerate outrageous and impatient behaviour Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9

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from teachers by the supervisor just because we were girls and might find all kind of in-laws! Another time, a class fellow was told off by teachers because of bad hair hygiene and was forced to cover her head and sit all by herself. Imagine the shattering of her confidence only at a tender age of 11. How difficult is it to write a note to parents so they can be informed about these issues so they better tackle the situation their way, instead of humiliating a child in front of an entire classroom? Other than that, if they don’t perform well academically, they are ridiculed and not given more attention than those who achieve good grades. teachers are known to favour their favourite students in class, and the rest are neglected and sometimes ridiculed. Cases have been reported of students being degraded if their parents are late depositing the school fee, schools put up a list of these students on the school gate so they can’t enter the building next day. What these ten-year-olds are going through, we can’t even imagine. We have given the task of nation building in hands of immature, tired, economically challenged individuals who opt for teaching to earn their bread and butter.

Pakistan has unfortunately been a developing country for a very long time now and like all other sectors, due to “more pressing issues”, authorities have largely ignored education the same. Mo less than 22.8 million Pakistani children are out of school, placing us only before Nigeria with the latter having the lowest literacy rate in the whole world. But what about the ones enrolled in schools? Are we providing them with the training required for the modern world they will step into? Do we have the faculty that guar-

Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545

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Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk

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antees learners with a hopeful future? In this country anybody can be a teacher! there is no authority to perform background checks of these employees, who come from diverse backgrounds with blurred social morals and the goal of only earning a living, not realizing the huge responsibility they have been given. taking only the private sector into consideration, as it claims to provide the best quality education, we know conventional teaching methods are being used on learners as in this country there is no certification for becoming a professional teacher. Minimum qualification required for a teacher is having cleared matriculation only, not taking into consideration his or her ability to conduct a class properly, or if he or she knows how to tackle the age group of students he or she is dealing with. Here, teachers are trained to be strict so children can’t misbehave. Why the students misbehave is what nobody is really concerned about them. A child’s psyche needs to be understood in order to train him to perform, and not every student can be handled the same way.

A system needs to be devised where aspirants should enroll in a teacher training course, which should provide them with comprehensive training, including psychology and child management courses. After presenting proofs of minimum education qualifications they should then pass a standardized test which would certify them for professional teaching. Only then they should be hired by schools.

Dr Yusra Tus Saleha Siddiqui is a freelance columnist

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

Monday, 17 February, 2020

COMMENT 09 Editor’s mail

Send your letters to: Letters to Editor, Pakistan today, 4-Shaarey Fatima Jinnah, Lahore, Pakistan.

E-mail: letters@pakistantoday.com.pk Letters should be addressed to Pakistan today exclusively

The necessity of reducing social media usage SIR, social media is undermining our society. the highly addictive habit of tweeting, Instagramming, and Facebooking our every thought, meal, workout, and opinion is taking up unduly great amount of our time and taking away our ability to effectively communicate with one another.

I’m afraid that if we don’t put our phones down, social media may become a problem that we will be unable to autocorrect.

SYED ALI HUSSAIn RIzvI Karachi

Property Taxes

The Turkish support Turkey is in contrast with the Arab states

sYeD Kaswar GarDezi

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ESPItE being a Muslim country with many proclaimed brothers throughout the Islamic world, we have never received actual and sincere support for most of our agendas.

Most notably from the Arab countries for whom Pakistan is willing to sacrifice itself, and yet they continue to be in bed with our enemies often rewarding them with state awards amongst others. Mere statements of condemnations are even unheard of. turkey, on the other hand, stands on a different tangent when it comes to rendering us support. For years, turkey has stood by Pakistan and extended all forms of support and cooperation, especially in the corridors of international power. Indeed, this relationship goes beyond words. People visiting the Mediterranean country can vouch for the love and warmth received. I have personally witnessed the hospitality towards Pakistanis in turkey. the level of respect one receives is overwhelming. throughout the rest of the world, Pakistan is considered a low-grade nationality, often due to the shameful activities of some of our illiterate citizenry. However, when it comes to turkey, the level of respect is beyond comprehension. Our citizens are welcomed with a warm smile often being treated to free coffee or sweets and termed brothers by the turkish people. By far, it is one of our only relationships’ which is based upon mutual respect.

For others, we have mostly been on the serving end, treading carefully across the lines of a master/servant affiliation. turkish President Recep tayip Erdogan has visited Pakistan a number of times, each time pledging his continued support to our agendas in the region. He remains the only international leader willing to openly stand by the Kashmir cause and call out India for its atrocities. His latest visit over the weekend sent ripples of discomfort throughout the Indian leadership as he blasted them on the Kashmir issue. Erdogan’s unequivocal stance on Kashmir is not just a symbolic gesture but is an actual revelation of the honest intentions underlying our friendship.

It was a strong enough statement to compel India into calling out the turkish President on

allegedly interfering in India’s internal matters. istan backing out of the Kuala Lumpur summit Perhaps, they’ve realized it isn’t an internal mat- in 2019 reveals the underlying purpose; the ter if international countries start condemning it. emergence of a new regional bloc. Undeterred their narrative of this being a domestic issue, by the diplomatic setback upon Pakistan’s redoes not require international interference. Prob- fusal to attend the Kuala Lumpur summit, the ably why the stance of the turkish President is turkish President went forward with his visit. even more important as it dispels the notion of there is no denying the fact that turkey forethe Kashmir issue being a local regional matter sees a long standing partnership with Pakistan and the emergence of a between two countries. new regional leadership is the turkish support in the shadows. adds to the long-desired inNevertheless, in spite ternational affirmation Until and unless Pakistan of their own agendas, the Pakistan seeks for the turks have stood by PakKashmir issue. Previously, starts taking a stand for istan in our times of need Erdogan has also raised the itself within the Muslim and have never shied away Kashmir issue before the from voicing their support UN General Assembly. world, it will remain unable in our favour. By far, they the continued condemnaremain the only ones to tion of Indian transgresto garner support for the call out India’s barbarism sions upon the Kashmiri Kashmir cause and make in Kashmir for what it is, people reflects turkey’s unlike the hypocrisy of the sincere concerns in regards decisions which are in their Arabs who have refused to to the atrocities on our sole beneficial interest. condemn the Indians. In brothers and sisters in the future, it is crucial that Kashmir. As opposed to Decades have already been Pakistan, before making the hypocritical stance of decisions similar to the other Middle Eastern nawasted protecting the boycotting of the tions who are not even ready to openly condemn interests of others. Pakistan Malaysian summit, considthe Indians, the turkish cannot afford another era of ers the impact on its relations with other Muslim support is exemplary and is serving and needs to countries and our judgea stepping stone for not ment should not always be only the Kashmiri resistupgrade its position in the clouded with crude oil ance movement, but also from the Middle East. for Pakistan in general. It international arena. Mere Until and unless Pakaffirms our stance on words of brotherhood and istan starts taking a stand for Kashmir and reiterates the itself within the Muslim need for support required unanimous affirmation world, it will remain unable from the Muslim world.

Apart from Kashmir, towards Turkish support isn’t to garner support for the Kashmir cause and make turkey also strenuously exenough. Practical steps decisions which are in their tends its support to Paksole beneficial interest. istan in regards to the FAtF which reflect our Decades have already been issue as well as acknowlindependent mindedness wasted protecting the interedges Pakistan’s efforts for ests of others. Pakistan canpeace in Afghanistan, a and ability to decide for not afford another era of task which other members ourselves, even if it means serving and needs to upof the international comgrade its position in the inmunity only undertake going against the wishes of ternational arena. Mere half-heartedly. the foundation behind the Arab world, are pivotal in words of brotherhood and unanimous affirmation tothe bond shared by Pakistan establishing us as a key wards turkish support isn’t and turkey traces its incepenough.

Practical steps tion into the pre-partition player in regional politics which reflect our independera when the Muslims of ent mindedness and ability present day Pakistan stood to decide for ourselves, even in support of the turkish if it means going against the people. they say tragedy brings people closer. turns out it is true in the wishes of the Arab world, are pivotal in establishcase of Pakistan and turkey. the common thread ing us as a key player in regional politics.

Let’s hope future decisions are made based of upsetting military interventions and prolonged upon strong statements of support made in our rule binds them. the turkish President’s willingness to ex- favour by the turkish President every now and pand the horizons of economic investment in then as opposed to hefty amounts of dollars. to the country is also another welcome step which the wonderful people of turkey: Biz kardeşiz. might help us out of our economic woes.

Syed Kaswar gardezi is a lawyer and a though turkish support has been with us for far too long, however, the seriousness attached to columnist. He can be contacted at Erdogan undertaking this visit in spite of Pak- kaswargardezi@gmail.com

I recently moved to Pakistan from the Middle East and have been looking to buy a house in Islamabad. there are a number of good projects both residential and commercial which are under construction and look promising. Similarly an international residence project being constructed on the Kashmir Highway has caught my eye.

What I am concerned with is the new tax regime on property sector imposed by the FBR. I have miniscule knowledge about how the property tax system functions in the country, but I have learned that the tax situation right now is not at all favoring the builders and sellers. there is apparently an increase in Capital Gains tax because of which sellers are being forced to raise prices of immovable property. through your esteemed publication, I would suggest that the ruling government should work towards a concrete tax framework and also take steps to facilitate builders, buyers and sellers so investment and housing becomes a smooth process and those looking to buy property can do so confidently. zOHAIB AHMED Islamabad

Say no to racism tHERE has been wide media circulation about the racist remarks of American President Donald trump. First of all, I have been a big admirer of America and American culture. Yet again, I am a fan of trump for the reason that he is always replete with energy, enthusiasm and positive talk.

At the same time, I am always opposed to such discriminatory remarks and any bias against human beings. I have been greatly encouraging such positive things/talks among the people, my relatives and friends in my native areas like tiruchendur, tuticorin, Korkai, Palayamkottai, tirunelveli, Nagercoil, Marthandam, Kanyakumari in tamil Nadu. No matter, the people and the countries have been in the same boat, struggling for their survival amid many volatile situations. therefore, such discriminatory things should be better avoided at all costs. Donald trump should confirm in the same breath that he has been always serious-minded about the growth of American people and that of the global community, come what may.

P SEnTHIL SARAvAnA DURAI Mumbai

Child labour I am writing to your good self to express my deep anguish over the unrelenting problem of child labor in our country. I feel a little attention of yours towards the problem will be enough to initiate a new campaign in removing the problem. the problem of child labor is quite widespread across Pakistan. In spite of the many aws against child labor, the problem continues to spoil the lives of thousands of children. the adverse effects of this problem affect the growth, development, and progress of our nation. Not only millions of underage children are forced to work in factories, shops, glassblowing industry, workshops, etc, they are paid the minimum of wages. the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan estimated that in the 1990s, 11 million children were working in the country, half of whom were under the age of ten. Our country needs more and more skilled manpower to achieve the objectives of growth, development and advancement. With so many millions of children working menial jobs, without education, how can Pakistan achieve her goals? through the medium of your newspaper I appeal to the Government to take some proactive and stringent measures to stop this problem of child labor and ensure education for the children.

ABDUL RAFAY Karachi

Fundamental facilities APPARENtLY, Kamber district is one of the most backward cities of province Sindh. the district has been facing all kinds of socioeconomic evils such as poverty, poor healthcare system, unhygienic water, unemployment, ineffective schooling system, poor infrastructure of roads, and a corrosive use of power.

Correspondingly, the women of Kamber district have been facing social ills such as gender discrimination, child marriage, child labor, and health issues. Specifically, students of matriculation and intermediate classes are suffering. However, there is not any kind of library facility and university. the Government of Sindh has to take some serious and effective measures to improve infrastructure of schooling system, building a university, job opportunities and improving the healthcare system. the Government has to work on women’s betterment and provide some ease.

ABDUL BARI JAgIRAnI Larkana

Monday, 17 February, 2020

10 FOREIGN NEWS

UK pOSt-BrexIt rUleS tO 'tUrn Off tap' Of lOw-SKIlled fOreIGn laBOUr LONDON

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AGENCIES

RITAIN will “turn off the tap” of foreign, low-skilled labour and require all skilled workers wishing to come to the country to have a job offer and meet salary and language requirements as it sets post-Brexit rules from next year.

Britain formally left the European Union at the end of January but a transition period is in effect until Dec 31, during which time little changes.

At the moment, European Union citizens are able to move freely between the member states, prompting some Britons to vote for Brexit in the 2016 referendum in a bid to bring down the number of people arriving in the country.

“Our new immigration system will turn off the tap of cheap, foreign lowskilled labour,” interior minister Priti Patel wrote in The Sun on Sunday newspaper.

“From next year, all skilled workers will need to earn enough points to work in the UK. They will need to speak English, have a firm job offer, and meet the salary requirements.”

Oman sees biggest Gulf clash risk in Strait of Hormuz

Patel said “overall numbers” would fall under the plan.

Some opposition politicians have argued that restrictions on immigration could harm public services such as the National Health Service which in cer-

tain areas relies on EU citizens who work as nurses and doctors.

The government said it would award additional points to those working in sectors where there is a skills shortage.

Russian artist, partner held over sex tape that sank Macron ally PARIS AGENCIES

French police held a Russian activist and his girlfriend for questioning on Sunday over a sex tape released online that brought down President Emmanuel Macron’s favoured candidate for Paris mayor.

Pyotr Pavlensky has said he leaked the video that forced the centrist ruling party’s Benjamin Griveaux to bow out of the running for mayor in next month’s election.

The 35-year-old artist, who received asylum in France in 2017 after several radical protests in Russia, was arrested on Saturday in connection with a fight at a New Year’s party.

On Sunday, however, police turned their attention to the images posted online this week of a man presented as Griveaux masturbating, coupled with racy text messages purportedly sent by the politician.

The video prompted Griveaux, a married father of two, to call off his mayoral campaign, citing the need to protect his family from scandal.

Pavlensky’s girlfriend Alexandra de Taddeo, believed to have been the recipient of the video, was arrested on Saturday evening on charges of invasion of privacy and publishing images of a sexual nature without consent.

The 29-year-old Frenchwoman was being questioned on Sunday at the headquarters of the criminal police in Paris.

On Friday, Pavlensky told AFP that he had posted the footage online in order to expose the “hypocrisy” of 42year-old Griveaux and planned to post more material on a newly created “political porn platform”.

Griveaux “is someone who constantly brings up family values, who says he wants to be the mayor of families and always cites his wife and children as an example. But he is doing the opposite,” Pavlensky told France’s Lib-

eration daily.

Griveaux’s lawyer, Richard Malka, hit back on Sunday, accusing “pseudo artists” of giving “morality lessons”.

Former government spokesman Griveaux is the first senior French politician to pull out of a campaign over a sex scandal, marking a turning point in the country’s traditionally permissive attitudes towards politicians’ private lives.

French media and politicians from across the spectrum have portrayed the 42-year-old, who has filed a formal complaint for invasion of privacy, as a victim. “Everyone has the right to their secret garden,” the speaker of the Na-

London and Brussels will spend this year negotiating the terms of a postBrexit deal which will come into force on Jan. 1 with the battlelines already drawn over how much Britain will diverge from EU rules and regulations. tional Assembly, Richard Ferrand, told Le Journal du Dimanche newspaper.

Malka hinted at a political set-up, saying he suspected Pavlensky “did not act alone”.

SCRAMBLE TO FIND SUCCESSOR: Griveaux’s fall has left Macron’s Republic on the Move (LREM) party scrambling to find a replacement candidate for the job of Paris mayor a month before the vote.

Griveaux’s campaign had already been in trouble before the sex tape emerged, dragged down by a rebel candidacy from fellow Macron supporter and star mathematician Cedric Villani.

Recent polls had placed the official LREM candidate third, behind incumbent Mayor Anne Hidalgo, a Socialist, and conservative candidate Rachida Dati. Among the names floated as possible replacements for him include Health Minister Agnes Buzyn and Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer.

Deputy Transport Minister JeanBaptiste Djebbari said the new candidate would be announced on Sunday evening.

RAGING AGAINST ‘APATHY’: Pavlensky has a track record of causing outrage.

In 2013, he nailed his scrotum to Red Square to protest against the “apathy and political indifference” of Russian society. Two years later, he doused the doors of the FSB secret police headquarters with petrol and set them on fire.

In October 2017, he set fire to the offices of the Bank of France on Place Bastille, site of the attack on an infamous prison at the start of the French revolution in 1789. He was given a short jail sentence over that incident.

Treat us like something between a telco and a newspaper, says Facebook's Zuckerberg MUNICH AGENCIES

Online content should be regulated with a system somewhere between the existing rules used for the telecoms and media industries, Facebook Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg told global leaders and security chiefs on Saturday.

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference in Germany, Zuckerberg said Facebook had improved its work countering online election interference, and expanded on his previous calls for regulation of social media firms.

“I do think that there should be regu-

lation on harmful content […] there’s a question about which framework you use for this,” Zuckerberg said during a question and answer session.

“Right now there are two frameworks that I think people have for existing industries — there’s like newspapers and existing media, and then there’s the telcotype model, which is ‘the data just flows through you’, but you’re not going to hold a telco responsible if someone says something harmful on a phone line.”

“I actually think where we should be is somewhere in between,” he said.

Facebook and social media giants including Twitter and Alphabet’s Google

have come under increasing pressure to better combat governments and political groups using their platforms to spread false and misleading information.

Zuckerberg said he now employed 35,000 people to review online content and implement security measures.

Those teams and Facebook’s automated technology currently suspend more than one million fake accounts each day, he said, adding that “the vast majority are detected within minutes of signing up.”

“Our budget is bigger today than the whole revenue of the company when we went public in 2012, when we had a billion users,” he said.

MUNICH: The risk of a military confrontation is higher in the Strait of Hormuz than anywhere else in the Gulf region, Oman’s foreign minister said, due in part to the growing number of military vessels from different countries that are guarding it. The waterway between Iran and Oman – 33 km (21 miles) wide at its narrowest point – is the conduit for some 30% of all crude and other oil liquids traded by sea.

Friction between Iran and the West had led several nations to send task forces to guard shipping there, and Washington has blamed Tehran for attacks on international merchant vessels in or near the area, something Tehran denies. “There are a lot of military ships in the Hormuz (area) and our concern is there could be a mistake,” Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah said late on Saturday at the Munich Security Conference. That would make that area the riskiest flashpoint in the Gulf over the coming months, he added. Iran cannot legally close the waterway unilaterally because part of it is in Omani territorial waters. However, ships that sail it pass through Iranian waters, which are under the responsibility of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Navy. Tehran has also threatened reprisals for the Jan. 3 killing of its top military commander, Qassem Soleimani, in a U.S. drone strike, though regional analysts have said that is unlikely to involve an intervention in the Strait.

Washington, which in 2018 decided to pull out of an international nuclear deal with Iran and re-impose sanctions on it, is leading a naval mission to protect oil tankers and cargo ships that includes Britain. France leads a separate European mission, and Japan, Russia, South Korea and China have also sent naval assets to the region. AGENCIES

Quake hits near Iranian island, no casualties DUBAI: A magnitude 5.8 earthquake hit near southern Iran’s Qeshm island in the Gulf on Sunday, the official IRNA news agency reported, but a local official said there were no reports of casualties and only minor damage. “So far, there has been no loss of life reported,” the governor of Qeshm, Alireza Nasri, told IRNA. “The damage to buildings has been at the level of cracks in walls.” The United States Geological Survey gave the magnitude of the quake as 5.5. Qeshm island lies close to the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway through which about a fifth of the world’s oil passes. AGENCIES

Monday, 17 February, 2020

BUSINESS 11

115 conTainers cleareD wiThouT PayinG DuTies anD Taxes ISLAMABAD

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SHAHZAD PARACHA

S many 115 containers have allegedly been cleared from the Torkham Customs Station without payment of duties and taxes, Pakistan Today learned on Sunday.

Sources alleged that the Director General (DG) Customs Intelligence and Investigation had communicated with the acting chairperson of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) that 115 containers out of 355 were cleared

from the Torkham Customs Station in December 2019 without filing of goods declaration (GD) and payment of duty and taxes.

Earlier, the Customs intelligence had revealed that 355 containers were cleared from the border with the alleged connivance of senior Customs officials, upon which Prime Minister had removed Member Customs Operations Jawad Agha and five Collectors from different stations.

Subsequently, Chief Collector Customs (North) Dr Asif Mahmood Jah following the instructions of the FBR

Tractor sale increases 92pc in January ISLAMABAD APP

Farm tractors’ sale in the country rose by 92 per cent to 2,213 units in January 2020 as compared to the sale of 1,153 tractors in the preceding month (December 2019). On year-on-year basis, the sale of farm tractors in Jan 2020, however, witnessed a decrease of 36.51pc when compared to the sale of 3,486 tractors in Jan 2019. According to a latest data issued by Pakistan Automobile Manufacturing Association (PAMA), the farm tractor’s sale during the first seven months (July-January FY20) also posted a decrease of 37.62PC to 17,447 units from the sale of 27,969 units in the same period of the previous fiscal year.

The details show that the sale of Fiat tractors rose to 882 units in January this year from 140 units in the preceding month, however, on year-on-year basis it declined when compared to the sale of 1,452 units in January 2019. The sale of Messey Farguson tractors declined to 10,537 units during July-January (201920) as compared to the sale of 18,060 units in the same period of last year, while, in January 2020 the sale declined to 1,309 units from 1950 units in January 2019. The company, however, posted an increase against the sale of 1,005 units in December 2019.

Similarly the sale of Orient IMT tractors declined to 104 units in July-January (2019-20) against the sale of 144 units in the same period of previous year. On year-on-year and monthly basis the sale declined to 22 units in January 2020 from four units in same month last year and the sale was recorded at 8 units in December 2019.

chairman, conducted an inquiry into the DG Customs’ report, that revealed that around 240 out of 355 containers involving duties and taxes amounting to Rs130 million had been reconciled.

The report further established that the allegations of clearing all 355 containers without payment of duties and taxes were not based on facts as the customs staff didn’t allow entry of any Afghan registered vehicles, carrying road pass issued by the embassy of Pakistan, from Kabul at Ghulam Khan Customs Station.

Sources said the DG Customs Intelli-

BEIJING INP

Enterprises and investors are welcome to invest in Pakistan’s Rashakai Special Economic Zone (SEZ) as its developer China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) has launched the work recently, says a report of Gwadar Pro. According to CRBC’s introduction, the leading industries of Rashakai SEZ in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province include the processing of farm produce, automobile, home appliances, textile, consumer electronics, construction materials and logistics.

Enterprises to operate in the SEZ would be entitled to all favorable policies in accordance with the Special Economic Zones Act 2016.

So far, Rashakai SEZ has been the only one industrial park that can enjoy the preferential

policies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

Rashakai SEZ is one of the nine SEZs prioritized under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) framework. This SEZ has got a series of preferential policies and supporting conditions given by the Pakistani government.

Rashakai SEZ aims to become a role model for other SEZs under CPEC, trade transfer station as well as base of industrial capacity cooperation between China and Central Asia and Western Asia.

The total planned area in Rashakai is about four square kilometers, and will be developed in three phases, with about one square kilometer for Phase I. Adequate water, power and gas will be supplied to the zone’s enterprises for their production and daily consumption. Auxiliary facilities such as complex adminis-

economic watchdog says export of all edibles should be banned to bring prices down

The Pakistan Economy Watch (PEW) on Sunday said uncontrollable food prices continue to push millions into abject poverty with no relief in sight.

A good portion of the population has become food insecure due to food mafia’s lust for profits and inaction on the part of authorities, it said.

Strict measures should be taken against profiteers while export of food items should be banned immediately to bring the prices down, said Dr. Murtaza Mughal, President PEW. He said that health and nutrition needs of the public are more important than the profit of some exporters.

The nutrition value of different vegetables, fruits and staple is receding while seeds resistant to climate change and pests are also needed for which research and development should be improved.

Dr. Murtaza Mughal said that in-

creasing population, decreasing per acre yield and a free hand to profiteers has become a threat to the lives and health of the people.

He noted that cotton, wheat and some other crops faced substantial losses which increased prices but the real culprits are sugar and wheat mafia which benefitted from inaction and mismanagement of the authorities.

He noted that the government should control food mafia before wasting energies in controlling social media. The plight of children getting underweight and mothers lacking nutrition must be noted as it has raised questions about the health of future generations, he added.

He said that those who fell ill have to spend 16 percent more on medicines as compared to food and that if a strict action was not initiated against people behind sugar and wheat flour crisis, it will embolden the criminals to bleed the masses white, he warned.

tration building, exhibition center, apartment, commercial area and hotels will be also established.

“One Stop” services including business registration, license issuance, work permits, custom clearance and declaration, inspection and quarantine, issuance of certificate of origin and building permits will be provided for enterprises in the zone. Both the import tariff and tax for all the imported machinery will be exempted from enterprises in the zone except for the items (such as motorbikes and tractors) listed in Chapter 87 by Pakistan Customs; Corporate income tax will be exempted for 10 years counting from the commercial production.

The lease term of the land in the zone is 99 years; Installments are available for the plot (50pc down payment and the rest 50pc payment is allowed in four installments next year), the report added.

Incentives for expats on cards to boost remittances ISLAMABAD APP

INP

by the DG. Sources said the role of the staff of the National Logistics Cell (NLC) and the Pakistan Revenue Automation (Pvt) Limited (PRAL) was also suspicious and needed to be investigated.

Senior Customs officers are of the view that the dispute between the Appraisement Peshawar and the Customs I&I is causing disgrace to the department and senior officers.

The report of this scandal prepared by the Customs I&I is not meant to target any officer as in fact it is in the larger national interest, they say.

china kicks off work on rashakai seZ

Uncontrolled food prices pushing millions into extreme poverty: PEW ISLAMABAD

gence informed the FBR chairperson that the report of reconciliation of containers submitted by the Customs Appraisement was a cover-up and that the Customs I&I was defending its report.

The Customs Intelligence in recent months had seized dozens of trucks loaded with smuggled fruits and the same had been auctioned, sources said, adding that the Customs I&I had directed the MCC Appraisement Peshawar for making manual entries pertaining to the identified containers, while there was no record in the WeBOC system. Moreover, this exercise was initiated after the report prepared

The government has chalked out a comprehensive plan to boost flow of foreign remittance in the country by incentivizing the Pakistani expatriates, using legal channels to send money to their homes.

The move was aimed at promoting legal means among Pakistani expatriates for the transfer of remittances and discouraging the use of Hawala/Hundi, a top official of Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment (BEOE) told APP. He said the idea was worked out by a committee on remittances chaired by the Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance & Revenue Hafeez Sheikh.

During a recent meeting, he said the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development had agreed to facilitate the emigrants in opening new bank accounts. “So the BEOE has given directions to facilitate every outgoing emigrant for opening of a new account so that a card like debit/credit card will be issued to them by the banks for different kind of incentives.”

He said the user would amass some points on swiping the card for transfer of remittances from abroad.

“After implementation of the plan, Pakistani expats will get incentives like concession in air tickets and permission for bringing a bit more luggage against the approved weight and two mobiles.”

The card holders’ families might be given some packages on purchasing edible items from the utility stores, he added.

He said the Foreign Exchange Remittance Card, being issued by the Overseas Pakistanis Foundation, would be abolished.

To a query, the official said the incentives had been worked out by keeping in mind the demands of expats and their families. At present, he said the banks in Pakistan laid less focus on boosting transfer of remittances through legal ways due to certain reasons while the process of transacting money from the Middle East through illegal channels was easy and cost-effective.

“A Pakistani expat can send 200 US dollars or above in one transaction without any fee, against which the bank was supposed to pay 16 Saudi Riyals to the foreign exchange companies abroad.”

He said the ministry of overseas Pakistanis had requested the government for giving the banks 20 Riyals against the transaction of at least 100 US dollars.

The clearance of the banks’ dues would now be done within six months which earlier took one year, he added.

It was also suggested in the meeting that the government would allocate budget for sensitization of expats to promote use of legal channels for remittances.

He said the remittances stood at 22 billion dollars last year and now the government intended to take it to 24 billion dollars in the current fiscal year.

Govt asked to probe poor participation of Pakistani stalls in Domotex expo LAHORE: The Pakistan Carpet Manufacturers and Exporters Association (PCMEA) on Sunday urged the government to seek a comprehensive report from the ministry concerned over insignificant numbers of stalls at Germany’s Domotex exhibition.

The association, in a press statement, also asked Prime Minister Imran Khan to help remove hurdles in the way of trade via Torkham. The demands were raised at a meeting of the Pakistan Carpet Manufacturers and Exporters Association (PCMEA) North Circle held under the chair of Vice Chairman Sheikh Aamer Khalid Saeed. The participants raised serious concerns over the paltry participation of Pakistani exporters in the exhibition and unanimously opined that Afghanistan due to the financial support of USAID program while India because of its government fully participated in Domotex exhibition held in Germany. It was also decided in the meeting to open new membership for those dealing with carpet industry while a comprehensive deliberation was also held in regard of trade through Torkham border.

The exporters who participated in Domotex exhibition told the participants that Pakistan set up only four stalls while the numbers of Indian stalls were 250 while Afghanistan’s participation was also remarkable.

They were also of the opinion that if such situation remained intact, Pakistan would be deprived of major international markets and this would create negative impact on the exports of the country. Sheikh Aamer Khalid Saeed said Pakistan’s classy handmade carpet designed with innovation was in great demand in international markets but we could not achieve the desired results due to lack of a comprehensive marketing strategy. He said due to the increase in ratio of policy rate and tax, the production sector of carpet industry is facing the serious issues and cost of production also increased many times. He demanded the government to give incentive packages and necessary facilities to manufacturers and exporters so that the required results would be attained in exports of the country. He also demanded the government to seek a comprehensive report over the poor participation of Pakistan in Domotex exhibition and a meeting of carpet exporters who participated in the exhibition would be call to deliberate on this issue. INP

Monday, 17 February, 2020

12 BUSINESS

Finance Division seeks rs101.2bn For 44 Provincial ProJecTs in Fy21

CORPORATE CORNER

ISLAMABAD

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Four Points by Sheraton Lahore’s team celebrates the first anniversary of its international loyalty card "Marriott Bonvoy" with its associates and in-house guests. PRESS RELEASE

Jazz’s revenue grows by 14pc in Fy19 ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

The revenues of Veon, the parent company of Jazz, have been grown by 14.1 per cent after adjustments of negative tax impacts, say its financial statements for FY19. Jazz’s data customers in the country also grew by 18pcas compared to previous year, says a press release. The company headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands, released its fiscal year 2019 results on February 14. As per the report, Pakistan’s 4G smartphone penetration stands at 27pc, same as Ukraine, but ahead of Bangladesh (10pc). The report also showed that 9 million Pakistanis use Mobile Financial Services (MFS) through 7.3 million digital wallets. On the other hand, there are only 3.5 million monthly active users of the telecom service. (Out of five countries where Veon offers MFS services, Pakistan has the widest customer base and the only country to have digital wallets. Other four markets are Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.)

Overall statistics show 60.5 million total mobile subscribers, while 39 million data subscribers from Pakistan for Jazz. Jazz continues to lead the Pakistan’s telecommunication market at 36.55pc market share, as per Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) stats. According to PTA, total telecommunication investment in the country went from $634 million in 2016-17 to $669 million in 2017-18.For the upcoming fiscal year, Veon plans to further expand its JazzCash as well as data services in Pakistan. At the time of report release, Veon Chief Executive Officer and Chairperson Ursula Burns said, “You'll see Pakistan always kind of comes out looking a little bit strangely because of the suomotu effects, but Pakistan has had an outstanding year, had a very, very strong year.” She said that if the financial impact of new taxes introduced in the country throughout the year were discounted, Pakistan would have shown 14 percent growth. Veon Chief Operating Officer Sergi Herrero said that the healthcare app by Jazz was going to be a success story for the company. “This is pretty relevant because Pakistan, as you know, it's a very rural area, so it requires this type of services.” He also accentuated the importance of Jazz TV owing mainly to the tendency of Pakistani citizens to use the app for live cricket. “The plan here is … continue to invest in the 4G rollout, build an ecosystem of apps, mainly financial services and content distribution, and finally, upgrade these consumers to 4G.”

GHULAM ABBAS

s the government faces with serious budgetary constraints, the Finance Divisionhas sought Rs101.2 billionfor at least 44 ongoing federally-funded provincial development projects in fiscal year 2020-21.

According to documents available with Pakistan Today, the ministry, which had earlier allocated Rs99.39 billion for 44 projects in FY20, has now proposed Rs101.2 billion with the additional allocation of Rs2 billion for the federal government’s funded projects, to be released in next financial year.

The Finance Division, under the rule 201 (6) of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly 2007, has made the proposals related to Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) for the financial year 2020-21. The proposals, shared with the National Assembly recently, were, however, subject to change on receipt of Indicative Budget Ceiling from the Ministry of Planning and Development.

The province which is going to get a lion’s share in the federal PSDP of 2020-21 was Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in terms of financial allocation as the Finance Division has proposed Rs92.2 billion for only 10 projects. The Division had allocated Rs91.1 billion in the fiscal year 2019-2020.

As per the details, the finance ministry has projected Rs24 billion for the Annual Development Plan (ADP) of merged districts of KP for next fiscal year. The allocations for this fiscal

year was also Rs24 billion.

Besides, the Finance Division has proposed Rs48 billion for merged areas of erstwhile FATA. Same allocation was made in this fiscal year.

Under the program of relief and rehabilitation of internally displaced persons at least Rs17 billion have been proposed.

As per the official documents, the second major allocation was made for Balochistan by the center as it was funding to at least 27 projects out of the 44 projects being completed under federal PSDP. Around Rs6 billion were proposed for the same projects against the allocation of Rs5.3 billion the Finance Division had made in the ongoing financial year.

At least three projects are expected to be completed out of total 27 ongoing federallyfunded provincial projects. Allocation of only Rs500 million was proposed for the desalination plant at Gwadar being set up under CPEC against the required Rs2.6 billion in the next fiscal year.

An amount of Rs100 million was proposed for Gwadar Smart Environmental and Sanitation System and Landfill project of CPEC against the required Rs2.2 billion.

An amount of Rs1 billion has been proposed for another Gwadar project of fresh water treatment and water supply against expected minimum remaining requirement of Rs5.8 billion.

Dirge-Shaobai Road project will receive just Rs500 million against the total remaining requirement of Rs1.9 billion. For the Gwadar Development Authority project, the Ministry of Finance has proposed only Rs1 billion allocations against the required allocation of over Rs12

billion. However, the ministry has proposed Rs688 billion for the completion of the Gwadar Safe City project in fiscal year 2021.

According to documents, only five projects are being funded by the center in Sindh with the proposed allocation of Rs1.5 billion. The allocation for the same number of projects in Sindh in 2019-20 was Rs1.77 billion. The Greater Karachi Water Supply Scheme (K-IV) has also been proposed to receive Rs800 million against the centre’s remaining share of Rs2.4 billion.

The long awaited Lyari Expressway Resettlement project is projected to receive Rs50 million against the remaining requirement of Rs4.7 billion. Besides the establishment of a combined effluent treatment plant for the industrial area of Karachi will get only Rs500 million against the need for Rs2.9 billion.

Punjab, as per the documents, has only two projects to be funded by the center which has proposed allocation of Rs500 million in 202021 against Rs1.1 billion allocated in this financial year.

Overall, the Finance Division was providing funding to the provincial governments for 54 projects included in the federal PSDP. According to officials, the expected remaining financing requirements are worked out by the Ministry of Finance on the basis of actual spending by December last year and projected allocation for the second half of this fiscal year.

The government faces serious budgetary constraints, as about three-fourth of the total budget is spent predominantly on debt servicing and then on defence of the country, they add.

FAISALABAD: A farmer works on his field on Samandri Road in Faisalabad. ONLINE

KP Revenue Authority registers 11,000 taxpayers in three years PESHAWAR AZIZ BUNERI

With broadening of tax base by 800 per cent, the KhyberPakhtunkhwa Revenue Authority (KPRA) has so far registered 11,000 potential taxpayers, starting from 1,185 three years ago.

According to the authority’s annual report, an average 400 new potential taxpayers are being registered each month.

The authority has taxed 94 services keeping in view the overall economic activities in the province and the annual revenue collection, which was fluctuating between Rs6-7 billion, is now crossing Rs15 billion.

The annual report further says in last fiscal year 2018-19 the authority got 94.6 per cent of its annual target despite a ban on the collection and payment of sales tax on services on telecom sector by the

Supreme Court.

The apex court's embargo on telecom sector from May 2018 till April 2019 caused 54pc decline in the collection.

Despite this unanticipated hit, the KPRA has collected Rs10.584 billion against target of Rs10.91 billion in 201819. The authority collected Rs8.1 billion till December 2019 and it intendsto cross Rs17 billion by the year end.

Sources in the authority say that the reasons behind slow pace in the past were frequent reshufflings in the top management and lack of specialized human resource trained in tax administration.

“We were even struggling to justify the very existence of KPRA as its contribution to the provincial tax revenue was not impressive,” said an official who did not want to be named.

Outgoing Director General of KPRA Tahir Orakzai told this scribe that he was

posted in the authority in 2017 with big challenges of organizational development, annual revenue targets; and proliferation of sales tax on services in an environment where tax culture was not existent, rather hostile.

On the other hand, the KP government was facing with financial crunch as the federal government at that time was also politically opponent to Pervez Khattak’s administration in KP, he said, adding there was a need for additional provincial revenue for development spending.

“A quick diagnostic of the situation was completed and the first thing we did was to get in touch with the international organization working as partners with the KP government in capacity building of its entities. Experienced consultants for the organizational development and preparation of essential by-laws were hired and a competent team was onboard quickly.”

The team prepared a comprehensive plan for the organizational development that was aimed at shaping KPRA into an authority was presented to the Policy Council chaired by the KP chief minster and got approved in April 2017, Orakzai added.

He said the plan was implemented and organizational structure of the authority was erected with several Directorates and Collectorates.

Presently, the authority holds five Specialized Directorates, Collectorate of Revenue, Collectorate of Appeal and an Appellate Tribunal and three Zonal Offices in Mardan, Abbottabad and Bannu run by over 140 professionals. Over 30 sets of rules and regulations along with bylaws covering different aspects of the authority and its employees were framed.

"We worked on exploring non-telecom sectors as reliance on telecom sector

was not only stagnant in terms of progress but was also vulnerable," the senior official said, adding that the non-telecom revenue went up to almost Rs8 billion in the last fiscal year as the authority worked on exploring other sectors including hospitality, construction, beauty salons and Franchise services.

"We need to conceptualize, motivate and mobilize potential tax payers. We are working on it and we have developed an effective communication strategy to crack the trust deficit in the society making them believe the government departments as their own.”

The KPRA chief said the authority was striving to increase fiscal space for development projects in the province and its aim was to make KP fiscally self-reliant, adding developing tax culture in the province is still a challenge and needs a lot of efforts.

Into the world of fashIon sIx must read fashIon books Meryle Secrest Elsa Schiaparelli: A Biography Acquaint yourself with the woman once considered to be "the queen of fashion." Elsa Schiaparelli was even more popular than Coco Chanel in her heyday and is credited with more designer firsts than we can count.

A Memoir - Grace Coddington Renowned Vogue editor Grace Coddington gives a witty glimpse into her world, from her early career as a model to her work with Anna Wintour today.

Love Style Life Garance Doré This beautifully illustrated read takes you on a journey

through the French icon's life, travels, and of course personal style.

The book is organized like a style guide with sections devoted to style, beauty, and elegance, with intermittent chapters on wardrobe basics, how to look good in pictures, and the importance of thank-you notes. The book is more enjoyably voyeuristic than it is reliably practical. Most readers can’t pull off the elusive je ne sais quoi that is so beautifully captured within these stylish pages.

Accidental Icon - Iris Apfel The 96-year-old fashion icon Iris Apfel has original style in droves. Iris Apfel: Accidental Icon is also a love story whose main players are her late husband of almost 70 years, her family, her friends and most of all her affair with fashion in all its manifestations and permutations, whether shoes, clothes, or any accessory that she might conceive of wearing.

Women In clothes - Sheila, Heidi and Leanne Shapton Women in Clothes is a celebration by

women all over the world of how the garments we wear every day shape who we are.

Women in Clothes is a book unlike any other. It is essentially a conversation among hundreds of women of all nationalities—famous, anonymous, religious, secular, married, single, young, old—on the subject of clothing, and how the garments we put on every day define and shape our lives.

The Beautiful Fall - Alicia Drake Drake unpacks the glamorous fashion world of 1970s Paris and focuses on one of its greatest rivalries: Karl Lagerfeld versus Yves Saint Laurent.

The book is a mustread for those with any curiosity about the fashion business, Paris during that time span, or the egos of such great designers. Ms. Drake also provides us with the lingering insecurities that most would never imagine in such great figures, ones that have remained m all their lives.

A SEAHORSE CAN MOVE ITS EYES IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS—ALL THE BETTER TO SCAN THE WATER FOR FOOD AND PREDATORS.

KOHI releases Tu Hai Kahan

I

By KauKaB Jahan

HOLLYWOOD BOLLYWOOD

n these days of digital media, the concept of musical band is fading away as presenting and promoting an individual artist is more trendy and sellable in the cyber space. But recently, a Karachi based rock pop band KOHI got the attention when they officially launched their new music video “Tu Hai Kahan’ at Forest Restaurant in Karachi amidst lots of celebrities and media.

The event was attended by celebrities like actors Arisha Razi, Furqan Qureshi, Aashir Wajahat, Rabya Kulsoom, Rehan nazim, Kanwar Arsalan, Hassan Khan, morning show host nida Yasir, actor director Yasir nawaz, singer natasha Baig, musician duo

Sheraz & Arif, beautician Angie Marshall, fashion designer Abdul Samad model Rabab Masood, and the pioneer broadcaster of FM radio in Pakistan Ajmal Shobi.

Kohi is a Pakistani pop rock duo formed by Adeel (vocals) and Adil (vocals & guitars). They have already released a single Azadi.

All their songs including ‘Tu Hi Kahan’ are available on Soundcloud.

The video of Tu Hai Kahan is produced by KOHI, directed by Qais Quraishi, assisted by Arsalan Ahmed, Photographed by Ghayas Uddin Siddiqui (DOP) and Tajammul Ghauri, edited by Junaid Khan, visual effects worked by Qbaloch QB (Dark Street), art directed by Mallik Matti, styled by Azam Shah with the production

HUMMINGBIRDS' WINGS CAN BEAT UP TO 200 TIMES A SECOND.

team of Q-Films, and Lights & Equipment from Xpose Films, The video has been shot at Commune Artist Colony.

The audio of the song id produced by KOHI (Singer: Adeel

Disney working on Aladdin sequel with Will Smith, Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott Disney has officially started developing a sequel to its 2019 live-action hit Aladdin. According to Deadline, the studio has roped in scribes John Gatins and Andrea Berloff to write the script for the sequel.

Guy Ritchie is set to return to the director’s chair, while Will Smith, Mena Massoud and naomi Scott are expected to reprise their roles as Genie, Aladdin and Jasmine, respectively.

The 2019 film was a remake of Disney’s 1992 animated classic which follows the adventures of the titular street urchin who, with the help of a magic genie, wins the heart of Princess Jasmine. Aladdin opened worldwide in May last year, receiving average reviews from the critics but that did not stop the film from earning over USD 1 billion at the global box office.

Meanwhile, Disney is also working on a live-action spin-off version of Aladdin, focusing on actor Billy Magnussen’s minor character Prince Anders. The series will debut on Disney Plus.

bashir Baloch and Adil Iqbal), composed bu Adeel Bashir Baloch, recorded at neon Studio, mastered

by Sherry Khattak, with bass by Omair Farooq and drums by Bilawal Lahooti.

TO COOK AN EGG, A SIDEWALK NEEDS TO BE 158°F.

Ranveer Singh, Ayushmann Khurrana perform impromptu bhangra in Assam

Sara Ali Khan reacted to Ranveer Singh replacing her in Love Aaj Kal 2030

Ranveer Singh and Ayushmann Khurrana are in Assam for the Filmfare Awards where they will be performing live on stage.

The two actors, however, couldn’t contain their excitement and began grooving to dhol beats off the stage. A video of them dancing like no one’s watching has surfaced online and is a treat to watch.

The video shows Ranveer, in a white track suit, and Ayushmann, in a blue tracksuit, matching bhangra steps in front of the stage. The background dancers and other staff members can be seen enjoying them dance with such enthusiasm.

Ranveer, Ayushmann with wife Tahira Kashyap, Karan Johar, Kartik Aaryan, Varun Dhawan and Vicky Kaushal had left for Assam for the awards event on Friday. Karan even shared a hilarious in-flight video featuring the Bollywood gang. “It’s time to #toodles again,” Karan captioned the video in which he can be seen having a fun banter with the actors.

Ranveer had also shared a picture of himself standing on stage in his bright costume.

Kartik Aaryan just saw the release of Imtiaz Ali film Love Aaj Kal, in which he plays dual roles. The actor has already pitched the idea of Love Aaj Kal 2030 with Ranveer Singh and shared a recreated poster with the hashtag #RanTik. While the original poster shows Kartik lying down on a bed with Sara lying over him, Ranveer recreated it by lying on Kartik in place of Sara. Just like the original, Kartik is seen sleeping with his eyes closed whereas Ranveer is lost in deep thought and even holds Kartik’s hand, just like Sara. Kartik shared the candid click with the caption, “Announcing #LoveAajKal 2030. With @ranveersingh. #RanTik” The poster got more than 1,00,000 ‘likes’ within 10 minutes.

Sara was quick to take note of their bromance and reacted to the post, “That was a quick replacement.” A fan commented on the post, “Yeh Dosti hai, KE Dostana.” Another wrote, “Relationship goals.” One fan suggested a new name, “Love aaj kal zyada savdhaan”. Love Aaj Kal raked in Rs 12.40 crore at the box office on its day one, the film’s makers announced on Saturday.

CMYK

Monday, 17 February, 2020

14 SPORTS

PAKistAN defeAt iNdiA, wiN KABAddi world CuP for tHe first time

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sports Desk

AKISTAN emerged victorious from a close contest against India in the final of the Kabaddi World Cup on Sunday in Lahore's Punjab Stadium. The hosts won 43-41 to become Kabaddi world champions for the first time.

Pakistan and India had yesterday defeated Iran and Australia respectively, to reach the final. The winning side completed a lap across the stadium after the match as the stadium cheered them on.

Congratulatory messages poured in by players, politicians and fans. Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar hailed Pakistan's victory as "well deserved". In a tweet, Buzdar said: "Wonderful game of Kabaddi and well deserved victory by Team Pakistan .Congratulations to every Pakistani celebrating this win today."

Cricketer Imad Wasim lauded the team for its comeback after a weak first half. "43-41 is the final score. And that’s after being down after the first half. Fantastic effort from the boys to crown Pakistan Kabaddi champions."

Wasim also thanked the teams for coming to Pakistan to participate in the tournament. PTI Senator Faisal Javed Khan congratulated team Pakistan "upon beating India in the World Cup Final of Kabaddi".

NBA loses 'hundreds of millions' in China over Hong Kong tweet New York Agencies

Long queues seen outside Punjab Stadium where the world cup final was held on Sunday.

Financial rules at risk of being 'scuppered' if Man City overturn European ban maNchester Agencies

European football's financial fair play rules risk being "scuppered" if Manchester City overturn their two-season ban from continental competition, according to a soccer analyst.

UEFA announced the punishment on Friday and also imposed a fine of 30 million euros ($32 million, ÂŁ25 million) on the English champions for what it said were City's serious breaches of its FFP regime. City, however, wasted little time in responding by saying they would appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in the hope of securing an "impartial judgment". Since the Sheikh Mansour takeover in 2008, which put the financial might of Abu Dhabi behind them, City have won 10 major trophies - including four Premier League titles.

Yet the prize that has eluded them is the one the Abu Dhabi project most desires -- the UEFA Champions League.

The Chinese government have provided City with additional backing, as has US private equity firm Silver Lake.

They are all set to ensure City has a no expense spared legal team that will challenge the validity of UEFA's ruling.

Should City succeed, the entire FFP

system could collapse, according to Professor Simon Chadwick, director at the Centre for the Eurasian Sport Industry.

TRANSNATIONAL POWER: "In essence UEFA has to try to win this because, if it doesn't win or is undermined in any way, then its position on Financial Fair Play begins to unravel...FFP is scuppered," Chadwick told Britain's Press Association news agency.

"However, they are not taking on Wigan, they are taking on Asian governments, US tech investors and some of the

smartest, most-talented people in football. "It is transnational power versus localised governance."Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was just one of several leading football figures stunned by the severity of the UEFA punishment.

"It was a shock," said Klopp, whose Champions League title holders are on well on course to succeed City as champions of England.

"What they have done on the football pitch is exceptional. The rest, I don't know," added Klopp, speaking after a 1-

0 win at bottom-of-the-table Norwich on Saturdy saw leaders Liverpool extend their advantage over second-placed City at the top of the Premier League to 25 points. UEFA say City have breached FFP rules that place restrictions on how much money a club can lose.

Over a three-year period, clubs are not permitted to lose more than 30 million euros with exceptions for costs such as youth development and women's teams. UEFA's Club Financial Control Body found City ensured they did not fall foul of those restrictions by overstating their sponsorship revenue between 2012 and 2016. If City's appeal fails, manager Pep Guardiola and several star players could leave the club. Guardiola's contract runs until the end of the 2020/21 season, but the only major task left for the Catalan in Manchester is to make City European champions for the first time.

City play Real Madrid in the last 16 of this season's edition and if the campaign ends with the club yet to lift the Champions League trophy, Guardiola may bow out rather than compete for domestic honours alone. Similarly, players of the calibre of Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling are unlikely to want to waste two of their peak years without the lure of Champions League football.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Saturday the league expects to lose "several hundred million dollars" due to a row with China over a tweet by Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey supporting Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters. The NBA's Chinese sponsors cut ties in a fierce mainland backlash following Morey's tweet in October, just before two NBA teams played pre-season exhibition matches in China. State broadcaster CCTV also stopped airing NBA games for the country's millions of ardent basketball fans and has not resumed. "The magnitude of the loss will be in the hundreds of millions of dollars," Silver told a press conference on the sidelines of the All-Star Weekend in Chicago. "Probably less than $400 million, maybe even less than that," he said. However, "it's substantial", he added. "I don't want to run from that ... But I don't have any sense that there's any permanent damage to our business there." The commissioner said he expected CCTV to resume broadcasts of NBA games but did not give a timeframe.

Cheptegei breaks sub-13 minute barrier for new 5km world record kampala Agencies

Uganda's Joshua Cheptegei lowered the 5km world record on Sunday with a time of 12 minutes 51 seconds and revealed he had set out to "really go for" breaking the sub 13 minutes barrier. The 10,000m world champion made the most of perfect conditions in the second edition of this race to improve on Kenyan Rhonex Kipruto's previous best of 13min 18sec last month in Valencia. "Wow, this is a really great. I had sub 13 minutes in my mind today so when my legs felt good during the race I decided to really go for it," said the 23-year-old 10,000m world champion."To take this many seconds off the record makes me very happy and is a great first test for me in an important season," he said with the Tokyo Olympics coming up in July. Cheptegei took part in both the 5000m and 10000m at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games coming eighth and sixth respectively at the age of 19.

Tuchel out to break PSG's last 16 jinx against ex-club Dortmund BerliN Agencies

Thomas Tuchel hopes his Paris Saint-Germain outfit can break their last 16 curse in the Champions League when they face his former club Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday.

Tuchel coached Dortmund for two seasons until 2017 and knows what to expect from the passionate home crowd in the last 16, first leg tie.

His Paris team are desperate to break their last 16 jinx having exited at this stage of the competition in each of the last three seasons."The first leg has never been a problem," the German told daily newspaper Welt on Sunday with a grin.

"The whole story will inevitably come back to us for the second leg," which will be in Paris on March 11.

"But I already said after the unfortunate exit against Manchester United last year, 'Guys, hopefully we'll get into the same situation again.'

"Hopefully, because we would have come through the group stages. And here we are again."

A year ago, PSG bowed out to United after losing 3-1

in Paris despite winning the first-leg 2-0 in Manchester.

That followed their 2017/18 exit to Real Madrid, losing the first leg 3-1 away before going down 2-1 in Paris.

The most famous defeat in recent Champions League memory was against Barcelona in 2016/17 when PSG crashed out to a 6-1 defeat in Spain after romping to a 40 first-leg win in Paris.

Their 6-5 aggregate loss was the first time a team had come back from such a margin in the knock-out stages.

Tuchel left Dortmund on bad terms in 2017 following a disagreement with CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke, but said that will be put aside on Tuesday. "I've decided not to put myself at the centre of the whole story, but to prepare the team well," insisted Tuchel.

"They have nothing to do with it." PSG are currently 13 points clear at the top of the French league, but were held to a 4-4 draw by strugglers Amien on Saturday with stars Neymar and Kylian Mbappe both rested.

Dortmund are third in the Bundesliga after Friday's 4-0 thrashing of Eintracht Frankfurt as Erling Braut Haaland scored his ninth goal in six games for the Germans.

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Monday, 17 February, 2020

AgArwAl, PANt AmoNg ruNs As iNdiA tiCK most Boxes iN wArm-uP gAme hamiltoN

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NDIA finished their first red-ball game of the tour with most boxes ticked, as openers Mayank Agarwal and Prithvi Shaw, and wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant were all among the runs in a second innings where the visitors put up 252 at a run rate of 5.25.

On the first day, India had been reduced to 5 for 3, with all their opening options for the Tests out cheaply. Following a dominant bowling performance on the second day, Agarwal and Shaw struck at nearly nine runs an over to take India to stumps on 59 for 0.

That partnership ended on 72 on Sunday with the wicket of Shaw, out for 39 off 31. For Shubman Gill, the third frontline opening option in the squad, it was another single-digit score. He made 8, trapped leg-before by Daryl Mitchell, to follow his first-ball duck in the first innings.

That brought Agarwal and Pant together, who added 100 in just over 18 overs before Agarwal retired out.

Agarwal's 81 will be particularly relieving for the Indian team - it is his first fifty on tour in any format since arriving with the India A team on a shadow tour a month ago. In his last first-class match against New Zealand A, he bagged a pair, and in the ODI series that followed, he had made 32, 3 and 1. The runs came in good time too, off 99 balls, with ten fours and three sixes.

Pant also struck at a good pace, scoring a 65-ball 70. The wicketkeeper has lost his spot in the XI in both limited-overs formats for India over the last

INDIANS 263 (VIHARI 101, PUJARA 93, KUGGELEIJN 340, SODHI 3-72) AND 252 FOR 4 (AGARWAL 81, PANT 70, SHAW 39, MITCHELL 3-33) DREW WITH NEW ZEALAND XI (COOPER 40, SHAMI 3-17, BUMRAH 2-18)

month and Wriddhiman Saha's return means he has been a back-up option in Tests too. His last Test was in August 2019, and last match at recognised level was a month ago during the home ODI series against

Australia. The runs and practice going into a major series will encourage India who had a century from Hanuma Vihari in the first innings, a 93 from Cheteshwar Pujara as well.

Mumbai Indians to host CSK in IPL 2020 opener on March 29

mumBai

The first match of the 2020 IPL will be a repeat of last year's final with defending champions the Mumbai Indians taking on the Chennai Super Kings at the Wankhede Stadium on March 29. The tournament will start only 11 days after India's home ODI series against South Africa ends on March 18 in Kolkata.

The IPL will release the schedule for the knockouts later, but the final is scheduled for May 24.

Although the IPL is yet to make an official announcement, ESPNcricinfo has seen the schedule that was sent to the franchises, with only the league phase dates out yet. The last league game is scheduled for May 17, between the Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai in Bengaluru.

In a first, the IPL has decided not to have any double-headers on Saturdays.

There will be three matches over the weekends with double-headers now only limited to Sundays, except on March 29 and May 17 - the opening and closing dates of the league phase when only one match is scheduled.

To accommodate the extra matches which originally would have been held on Saturdays at 4pm, the IPL has added an extra week to the league phase, which will now stretch to 50 days com-

Dhaka

pared to last year's 44. The IPL had also decided recently to stick to evening matches commencing at 8pm IST despite reservations from host broadcaster Star Sports, which was sceptical about games stretching past midnight. The afternoon matches will start at 4pm IST, as usual.

Barring the Rajasthan Royals, all the other seven franchises have retained their original home bases. The Royals, who start the tournament last, on April 2 in Chennai, have shortlisted a second home venue in Guwahati where they want to host their second and third matches, scheduled for April 5 (against the Delhi Capitals) and April 9 (against the Kolkata Knight Riders). However, officials from the Rajasthan Cricket Association, which owns the Jaipur ground that has been the first home base of the Royals, has objected to the franchise picking Guwahati as the second home venue and has filed pleas in the court.

One of the possible reasons for the Royals starting their tournament last could be around the availability of their key overseas players, including captain Steven Smith, allrounder Ben Stokes and wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler.

With England's two-match Test series in Sri Lanka scheduled to be played between March 19 and 31, the ECB had told the IPL authorities that the English

Bangladesh have dropped batsman Mahmudullah and recalled pace bowler Mustafizur Rahman for the one-off Test against Zimbabwe starting next Saturday.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahim also returns to the side for the Dhaka match after opting out of the Test against Pakistan earlier this month over safety concerns. The 16member squad named Sunday has four changes from the team that lost to Pakistan by an innings and 44 runs in Rawalpindi. Spinner Mehidy Hasan and pacer Taskin Ahmed are back after recovering from injury while batsman Soumya Sarkar, pacers Rubel Hossain and Al-Amin Hossain were dropped.

Batsman Yasir Ali Chowdhury and fast bowler Hasan Mahmud are the two uncapped players in the squad. "I believe we have selected the best possible Test squad under present circumstances. There is a very nice blend of experience and potential," chairman of the selection panel, Minhajul Abedin, said in a BCB statement. "It is unfortunate that some players had to miss out but our priority has been to ensure balance and continuity. We felt that Mahmudullah needed a break from the red ball." Mahmudullah has scored only one half-century since making 146 runs against New Zealand in March last year.

India to play day-night Test in Australia, England Agencies

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Bangladesh axe mahmudullah for Zimbabwe test Agencies

Agencies

Agencies

SPORTS 15

players would be available from April 1.

Cricket Australia and New Zealand Cricket, too, had also informed the IPL that their players would be available only after March 30 their last T20I is scheduled for March 29 in Christchurch. Some of the Australian players will also feature in the Sheffield Shield final which is scheduled from March 27-31.

Despite the RM Lodha Committee recommending that there be a fortnight's break between any international cricket played by India and the IPL, the 2020 edition will have only an 11 days' gap. Last year, India's last international match - an ODI against Australia on March 13 - was played only 10 days before the IPL opener, but the Committee of Administrators, that ran the BCCI then, had allowed it as an exception as it was a World Cup year.

It is not yet known when exactly the IPL will schedule the All Stars match, which is likely to be held three days before the tournament begins. The all-star fixture will comprise players from all eight franchises, likely to be formed with players from the four franchises in the north and east of India Kings XI Punjab, the Capitals, the Royals and the Knight Riders - and the other four teams in the south and west - the Super Kings, the Royal Challengers, the Sunrisers and Mumbai.

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The BCCI has given the nod for India to play one day-night Test during their 202021 tour of Australia, where the two teams will play four Test matches between December and January. In another significant move, the BCCI has also chalked in the refurbished Sardar Patel Stadium in Motera, Ahmedabad as a likely venue to host a day-night Test during the five-match series against England, to be played in JanuaryFebruary 2021.

Both decisions were taken by the BCCI's Apex Council, which met in Delhi on Sunday, and was attended by BCCI president Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah.

The BCCI's decision follows its meeting with a Cricket Australia delegation led by chairman Earl Eddings in January. Eddings met Ganguly and Shah on the sidelines of the India-Australia ODI series to chart out a plan for the day-night Test and identify the venue. Originally, CA wanted to host two pink-ball Tests against India, but the BCCI gave the nod for just one.

Ganguly had then said, "Two out of four would be a bit too much with the pink ball". ESPNcricinfo understands that either Brisbane or Adelaide will be the venue for the game. Brisbane will host the first Test of the series, and Adelaide will host a Test towards the latter part of the tour.

Ever since Ganguly took charge of the BCCI last October, he has supported the move for India to play more day-night Test cricket, and India played their maiden pink-ball Test against Bangladesh at Kolkata's Eden Gardens in November last year. Ganguly has also spoken to India captain Virat Kohli on the matter, and subsequently, in January during the home ODI series against Australia, Kohli said that his

team was happy to play day-night Tests in Australia as long as the players were given enough time and notice to prepare.

"We played the day-night Test [against Bangladesh] here, we were pretty happy with how it went," Kohli said. "It's become a very exciting feature of any Test series and we're open to playing day-night Tests.

We're ready and up for the challenge whether it's Gabba, Perth... it doesn't matter to us, we have the skillsets as a team now to compete against anyone in the world, anywhere, in any format of the game, whether it's white ball, red ball or pink ball, we're ready to play anything."

At the meeting, the BCCI also discussed the possible venues for England's tour of India next year, which will be India's last engagement in the inaugural cycle of the World Test Championship each team has to play six Test series with the WTC final scheduled to be held at Lord's in June 2021. Being a marquee series, the BCCI has decided to cash in by shortlisting Motera as a likely venue for the day-night fixture.

The ground has not hosted international cricket since November 2014, when India played Sri Lanka in an ODI, as the Gujarat Cricket Association wanted to renovate the facility completely, including relaying the pitches as well as the outfield.

The new-look stadium, once it is complete - which should be very soon - will become the biggest cricket ground in the world with a capacity of 110,000.

The Apex Council also decided to release funds to all the state associations that had applied to the BCCI to clear their pending payments. It was also decided that the BCCI would make an ad-hoc payment of Rs 2 crore (US$ 280,000 approx.) to the newly formed Indian Cricketers' Association to set up its offices and create organisational structure.

Daraz joins hands with Multan Sultan to offer customers an amplified experience. PR

Monday, 17 February, 2020

NEWS

'PoISonoUS' gaS kIllS fIve, faInTS dozenS In kaRachI KARACHI

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STAFF REPORT

t least five people were reported dead and dozens fell unconscious as a result of a “mysterious gas leak” in the Kemari port area of the metropolitan.

According to initial reports, the gas has affected at least 25 people in the locality and the doctors fear that the death rate may increase as the victims were fearing “severe respiratory problems”.

An Edhi Foundation spokesperson said that at least two persons died of suffocation and around 20-25 had fallen unconscious. They had been shifted to a nearby private hospital in Karachi’s Clifton area. All patients have been restricted to one ward in the hospital due to concerns that the condition might be a virus.

It was being claimed that the gas leaked in a ship that was anchored at the Karachi port. However, both the police and the spokesperson of the

Karachi Port Trust denied the claim.

According to Senior Superintendent of Police (City) Muqaddas Haider, it was not known if the gas

emission was caused by any chemical contained by a ship or container, adding that the “causes of the incident were being ascertained”.

The spokesperson of the Karachi Port Trust in a statement has claimed that reports pertaining to the gas being released by a recent ship that anchored down at the port were untrue. He also revealed that those affected by the gas were picked up from the road after their health deteriorated. He maintained that there was no report thus far of such a gaseous presence at the port.

Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah also condoled the deaths occurring due to the gaseous release and ordered the Commissioner of Karachi police to submit a report on the matter on a priority basis. CM Sindh also issued directives to ensure the providence of the best healthcare facilities to those affected by the gas.

AIC says social media restrictions will kill Pakistan's digital growth NEWS DESK Days after the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government led by Prime Minister Imran Khan has decided to impose restrictions on social media, the Asia Internet Coalition (AIC) urged the PM to retract the decision as this could “severely cripple the growth of Pakistan’s digital economy”.

AIC is an association that promotes the understanding and resolution of internet policy issues in Asia. In a letter to the prime minister, the association said: “First and foremost, we wish to express our sincere concern that unless revoked, these rules will severely cripple the growth of Pakistan’s digital economy.” The AIC said that the new regulatory measures in their current form could isolate Pakistan and deprive its users of the growth potential of the internet economy. “The rules are vague and arbitrary in nature, which is a result of the absence of public consultation. The lack of such discussion is problematic given that the rules demand that social media companies deviate from estab-

lished human rights practices concerning user privacy and freedom of expression,” the letter read.

AIC Managing Director Jeff Paine asked the government to consider the potential consequences of the rules in order to prevent unexpected negative impacts on Pakistan’s economy. “We hope to have the opportunity to share more detailed feedback with the government of Pakistan in the near future,” Paine added. According to the newly-approved that aim at regulating cyberspace, social media companies will be obliged to help law enforcement agencies access data and to remove online content deemed unlawful. Companies that do not comply with the rules risk being blocked online.

The approval of the new rules follows accusations by opposition parties that Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government has sought to intimidate and silence its opponents and allegations of media censorship. The new rules on social media are described by the authors as intended to prevent live streaming of online content relating to “terrorism, extremism, hate speech, defamation, fake news, in-

citement to violence and national security.”

Social media companies will be obliged within 24 hours to respond to a request to remove “unlawful” material, or six hours in emergency cases.

They will have three months to register with authorities in Pakistan, and must have a physical presence in Pakistan. When required, the companies will be required to provide subscriber information, traffic data, content data and any other information or data that is sought, the regulations stipulate.

The rules also state that interpretations of the regulations by the authorities in Pakistan “shall take precedence over any community standards or rules or community guidelines or policies or any other instruments devised by a social media company.”

Iran's Rouhani says Tehran will never yield to US pressure for talks DUBAI AGENCIES

Iran will never hold talks with its longtime foe, the United States, under pressure, President Hassan Rouhani said in a televised news conference on Sunday, adding that Tehran’s help was essential to establish security in the Middle East.

“Iran will never negotiate under pressure … We will never yield to America’s pressure and we will not negotiate from a position of weakness. America’s ‘maximum pressure’ towards Iran is doomed to failure,” Rouhani said.

Tensions have increased between Iran and the United States since 2018, when President Donald Trump exited

a 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and six world powers and Washington reimposed sanctions on Tehran that has crippled its economy. Trump administration wants a new deal that further curbs Iran’s nuclear program, ends its ballistic missile program and its involvement in decades of proxy wars in the Middle East.

Tehran has rejected holding ne-

gotiations over a new deal, saying talks are possible only if the United States returns to the nuclear pact and lifts sanctions. Iran has been involved in decads of regional proxy wars with its key regional rival Saudi Arabia.

“Securing peace and stability in the sensitive region of Middle East and in the Persian Gulf is impossible without Iran’s help,” Rouhani said.

Rocket attack hits near US embassy in Iraqi capital BAGHDAD AGENCIES

Multiple rockets hit an Iraqi base hosting American troops near the United States embassy early Sunday, the latest in a flurry of attacks against US assets in the country. “The coalition confirms small rockets impacted the Iraqi base hosting (coalition) troops in the International Zone […] no casualties,” said coalition spokesman Myles Caggins. The base, known as Union III, is the headquarters for the US-led coalition, deployed in Iraq since 2014 to help local troops fight the Islamic State group. Iraq’s military said three Katyusha rockets hit inside the Green Zone, the high-security enclave where the US mission and Union III are located, as well as Iraqi government buildings, United Nations offices and other embassies. A fourth rocket hit a logistics base in a different neighbourhood operated by Hashed al-Shaabi, a military network officially incorporated into the Iraqi state, the Iraqi military said. There was no immediate statement from the Hashed group. Strikes on assets of both the US and Hashed at the same time are unusual, as Washington has blamed hardline elements within the military network for repeated rocket attacks on American installations across Iraq.

Sunday’s attack was the 19th one since October to target either the embassy or the roughly 5,200 US troops stationed alongside local forces across Iraq.

No group has claimed responsibility for any of the incidents. In late December, a rocket attack on the northern Iraqi base of K1 left one US contractor dead and unleashed a dramatic series of events.

Washington responded with retaliatory strikes against Kataeb Hezbollah, a hardline Hashed faction in western Iraq. Days later, an American drone strike in Baghdad killed top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani and his right-hand man, Hashed deputy chief Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.

Turkey tells Russia that attacks in Syria's Idlib must stop ANKARA: Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Sunday that he told his Russian counterpart at a meeting the previous day that attacks in Syria’s northwestern Idlib region must stop immediately and that a lasting ceasefire has to be achieved. Turkey and Russia back opposing sides in the Syrian conflict but have collaborated on a political solution. However, a recent Syrian government offensive in Idlib has raised tensions between Ankara and Moscow, causing them to trade barbs.

Speaking in Germany after the Munich Security Conference, Cavusoglu also said he met with U.S. lawmakers at the conference, and added that Washington should work to improve relations with Turkey anyway, not just because of tensions between Turkey and Russia. AGENCIES

New coronavirus cases drop for third day as toll passes 1,665 BEIJING AGENCIES

The number of new cases from China’s coronavirus epidemic dropped for a third consecutive day on Sunday, as the World Health Organisation chief warned it was “impossible” to predict how the outbreak would develop.

Global concern remains high about the spread of the virus, which first emerged in China’s central Hubei province in December, with the first death outside Asia reported in France this weekend.

The death toll jumped to 1,665 in mainland China on Sunday after 142 more people died from the virus. More than 68,000 people have now been infected in China — but the number of new cases of the COVID-19 strain continued to decline.

In hardest-hit Hubei, the number of new cases slowed for a third consecutive

day and at 139, the number of deaths was level with Saturday’s toll.

The number of new cases in other parts of the country has dropped for twelve straight days.

The WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned however that it was “impossible to predict which direction this epidemic will take”.

“We ask all governments, companies, and news organisations to work with us to sound the appropriate level of alarm without fanning the flames of hysteria,” he said, speaking at the Munich Security Conference.

“China has bought the world time.

We don’t know how much time.”

The UN health body has asked China for more details on how diagnoses are being made.

An international team of WHO experts will arrive in Beijing this weekend for a joint mission with Chinese counterparts. The scale of the epidemic ballooned

on Thursday after authorities in Hubei changed their criteria for counting cases, retroactively adding thousands of new patients to their tally.

Hubei added more than 14,000 cases in a single day after officials there started

counting people clinically diagnosed through lung imaging, in addition to those with a positive lab test result.

Chinese authorities have placed some 56 million people in Hubei and its capital Wuhan under quarantine, virtually sealing

off the province from the rest of the country in an unprecedented effort to contain the virus. Local authorities around the country have introduced measures to try and stop the virus spreading.

Beijing’s municipal government has enacted a rule requiring all people coming to the capital to quarantine themselves for 14 days, warning that violators would be punished, according to official media.

Outside mainland China, an 80-yearold Chinese tourist in France was the fourth person to die from the new coronavirus, with the other deaths in the Philippines, Hong Kong and Japan.

The biggest cluster outside China is on a quarantined cruise ship off Japan, with 355 infections now as dozens more cases were confirmed.

The US, Canada and Hong Kong said they will evacuate their own citizens from the ship, and quarantine them on home soil.

Published by Arif Nizami at Plot No 66-C, 1st Floor, 21st Commercial Street, Phase-II (Extension), DHA Karachi and printed at Ibn-e-Hassan Printing Press, Hockey Stadium, Karachi. Ph: 021-35381208-9. Email: newsroom@pakistantoday.com.pk

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